BIBLE  DOCTRINE 


Bebotton 


BOWMAN 


tihvaxy  of  Che  theological  ^eminarjp 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


PRESENTED  BY 

Rufus  K.   LeFevre 

'5X7^7  S' 


Cl)e  Bible 
^ottxim  of  Detjotton 


Clje  a)etootional  Series; 

The  Christian's  Power      .      .      .      F.  P.  Rosselot 

Bible  Study  and  Devotion      .      H.  A.  Thompson 

Prayer,  a  Means  of  Spiritual  Growth  .     . 

N.  E.  Cornetet 

Selections  from  Madame  Guyon's  Work  on 

Devotion D.  D.  Loiuery 

Love  As  a  Motive M.  B.  Spayd 

Sorrow;  Its  Worth,  Its  Cure      .     J.  A.  Haavkins 

Bible  Doctrine  of  Devotion       .      E.  S.  Boivman 

Christ  Our  Devotional  Example      .      IF.  J.  Zuck 

The  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Devout  Life 

/.  L.  Kephart 

Conduct ;    Its   Relation   to  the    Devotional 

Life J.  T.  Spangler 

Each  i6mo,  Cloth Fifty  Cents 


W.  R.  Funk.  Agent  DAYTON.  OHIO 


Clje  M 
Boctrine  ot  Bebotton 


BY 


EDWARD  S.  BOWMAN,  A.M. 


^ 


UNITED    BRETHREN    PUBLISHING    HOUSE 

W.  R.  FUNK,  uieent  DAYTON.  OHIO 


0>pyright,  190U,  by 
United  Brethren 
Publishing  Botue 
Dayton  Ohio 


So  flDne 

WHOSE  CONSTANT  DEVOTION  BBIGHTKN3 

AND  SWEETENS  EVERY  TASK 

WHOSE  DEVOUT  I^IFE  IS  A  BI>ESSED  INSPIRATION 

^P  iFaitf)fuI  mite 

THIS  LITTLE  BOOK  IS  TENDERLY  DEDICATED 
BY 

The  Author 


1^ 


Contents 


Contentg 


Introduction 
I   Jesus'  Devotion  to  the  Father 
II    Hindrances  to  the  devotional  Life 

III  Fellowship  with  God 

IV  The  Yielded  Life 
V    Service  for  God 

VI    The  Blessed  Hope  ;  or,  Devotion  to  Our  Comino 
Lord 


antroDuction 


This  little  book  is  written  by  re- 
quest. It  is  for  Christians,  and  seeks 
to  emphasize  the  scriptural  teaching  of 
devotion.  By  devotion,  we  mean  the 
right  attitude  of  the  whole  life  toward 
God.  To  those  who  have  put  the  cross 
between  themselves  and  their  sins  and 
are  now  living  on  the  Godward  side 
of  the  cross,  it  aims,  by  calling  atten- 
tion to  a  number  of  passages  of  scrip- 
ture, to  lengthen,  broaden,  heighten, 
and  deepen  the  spiritual  life.  Its 
claim  is  not  that  of  unfolding  doctrine, 
but  inspiring  devotion — the  devotion 
of  the  whole  life  to  Him  whose  we  are 
and  whom  we  serve. 

The  author  once  heard,  on  the  same 
day,  two  distinguished,  representative 
men.  After  hearing  them,  he  asked 
himself  the  question,  What  have  they 
inspired  in  me?  After  hearing  the 
first,  he  said,  "I  want  to  be  a  better 
preacher."  After  hearing  the  other,  he 
said,  "I  want  to  be  a  better  Christian." 

7 


Jnttotiuction 


Other  books  may  inspire  other  things, 
but  it  is  the  earnest  prayer  of  the  au- 
thor that  this  little  volume  may  inspire 
all  who  read  it  to  say,  ^^I  icant  to  he  a 
better  Christian/'  May  God  grant  that 
it  may  be  a  blessing. 

Edward  S.  Bowman. 
Harrishitrg^  Pennsylvania^  190), 


"I  am  come  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do  mine 
own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me." — ■ 
Jesus. 

"This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased." — The  Father, 


THE   BIBLE   DOCTRINE 
OF  DEVOTION 


I 

3Iei8us!'  Demotion  to  tU  JFatfict 

"Such  was  thy  truth,  and  such  thy  zeal, 
Such  deference  to  thy  Father's  will ; 
Such  love  and  meekness  so  divine 
I  would  transcribe  and  make  them  mine." 

One  cannot  be  a  careful  reader  of 
the  Gospels  without  being  impressed 
with  the  perfect  devotion  of  the  Son  to 
the  Father.  In  all  his  speaking  to  his 
Father  or  about  him,  he  never  uses  a 
name  which  denotes  his  "creative 
power  or  omnipotent  dignity."  In  his 
most  solemn  and  priestly  prayer  he  ad- 
dresses God,  not  as  the  "One  that  in- 
habiteth  the  universe,"  or  the  "Infinite 
and  Eternal  One,"  but,  "O  Righteous 
Father,"  "O  Holy  Father." 

"The  word  ^Father,'"  says  one, 
"which  Jesus  uses  in  speaking  to  or  of 
God,  is  the  final  and  most  perfect  name 
11 


%it  3ib\t  SDocttim  ot  SDtbotfon 

which  has  come  to  us  from  the  revela- 
tion of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments. 
Every  other  thought  of  God  expressed 
in  title  or  name  is  contained  within 
this  final  word,  ^Father.'  Let  us  never 
imagine  that  God,  in  endeavoring  to 
teach  us  a  truth  concerning  himself, 
has  borrowed  one  of  our  names.  It  has 
too  often  been  said  that  God  bent  over 
us  and  took  out  of  our  life  the  great 
word  father,'  that  he  might  teach  us 
something  of  what  he  is.  The  essential 
truth  is  that  God  is  the  Father,  not  a 
father;  not  one  born  of  our  poor  hu- 
man realizations  of  fatherhood,  but  the 
one  who  is  revealing  to  us  what  a  fa- 
ther should  be."  Jesus  has  given  to  us 
the  best  and  highest  revelation  of  God, 
in  that  he  has  revealed  through  his  per- 
fect sonship  the  Father.  Man  has  dis- 
covered in  God  infinite  wisdom  and 
power,  but  the  love  of  the  Father,  which 
is  back  of  all  else,  is  more  precious 
than  either ;  this  the  Son  has  revealed, 
who  came  from  the  heart  of  the  Fa- 
ther.   "No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any 

12 


2t0n0'  apebotfon  to  tit  jpatStt 

time;  the  only  begotten  Son,  which  is 
in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he  hath  de- 
clared him''  (John  1:18). 

Jesus  has  given  us,  in  himself,  not 
only  the  example  of  a  life  in  its  rela- 
tion with  men, — teaching  us  how  to 
live  before  the  world, — but  he  has 
given  us  the  example  of  a  life  in  rela- 
tion to  the  Father.  His  was  a  life  of 
perfect  devotion,  unswerving  loyalty, 
and  absolute  obedience. 

THE   father's  testimony. 

The  Gospels  record  only  a  few  times 
when  the  Father  speaks  audibly  from 
the  heavens.  Each  time  it  is  the  ap- 
proval of  the  Father  testifying  to  the 
devotion  of  the  Son.  The  first  is  on 
the  occasion  of  his  baptism.  Jesus 
seeks  baptism  from  John,  but  John, 
recognizing  his  superior,  refuses  him, 
saying,  ^'I  have  need  to  be  baptized  of 
thee."  At  the  Master's  further  request, 
John  administers  the  sacrament.  Im- 
mediately there  follow  two  supernat- 
ural indications  that  Jesus  in  his  moral 

13 


Wit  3ihlt  SDocttine  of  SDebotfon 

nature  needed  no  such  rites:  the  one 
is  the  descending  upon  him  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  form  of  a  dove,  the  other 
is  the  voice  of  the  Father  speaking  from 
heaven,  saying,  "This  is  my  beloved 
Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased" 
( Matthew  3:17).  What  this  voice  may 
have  meant  to  the  others  who  may  have 
heard  it,  we  do  not  know ;  but  to  John 
it  was  a  message  of  tremendous  impor- 
tance, modifying  his  mission  and  re- 
vealing the  Messiah.  To  Jesus  it  was 
the  familiar  voice  of  the  Father,  attest- 
ing his  devotion. 

The  voice  again  is  heard  approv- 
ingly. It  is  on  the  Mount  of  Transfig- 
uration. A  cloud  overshadows  the  dis- 
ciples and  the  Father  speaks  of  the 
Son,  saying,  "This  is  my  beloved  Son : 
hear  ye' him''  (Mark  9:  7,  R.  V.).  The 
Father  makes  the  devoted  Son  the  au- 
thoritative teacher — "hear  ye  him." 
He  comes  to  both  teach  and  enable 
them  to  do  the  will  of  God. 

Again,  Jesus  is  speaking  of  his  de- 
mise.   Devotedly  turning  his  face  heav- 

14 


3le0U!ai*  SDrtotton  to  tit  ifatjet 

enward  and  addressing  the  Father,  he 
says:  ^Tather,  glorify  thy  name. 
Then  came  there  a  voice  from  heaven, 
saying,  I  have  both  glorified  it,  and  will 
glorify  it  again''  (John  12:28).  The 
people  who  stood  by  heard  the  voice, 
but  thought  it  thundered.  To  Jesus  it 
was  the  familiar  voice  of  the  Father. 
Dear  reader,  are  you  so  devoted  to  him 
that  when  he  speaks  you  recognize  his 
voice? 

The  Father  further  testifies  to  the 
devotion  of  the  Son  in  that  he  sent 
him  into  the  world  to  accomplish  the 
greatest  work  ever  undertaken  by 
God — the  redemption  of  the  world. 
His  mission,  therefore,  was  a  greater 
attestation  of  his  devotion  than  the  ut- 
terance of  the  voice  either  on  the  occa- 
sion of  his  baptism  or  his  transfigura- 
tion. 

THE  TESTIMONY  OF  OTHERS. 

Those  among  whom  Jesus  lived,  and 
for  whom  he  labored,  testify  to  his 
never-tiring  and  loyal  devotion  to  his 

13 


%^t  J&iblt  SDocttine  ot  SDrtotion 

Father.  They  at  once  recognize  in  him 
a  power  which  is  more  than  natural. 
By  his  wonderful  words  and  w^orks 
they  place  him  at  once  above  all  other 
men  and  account  for  it  only  through 
his  perfect  access  to  God.  After  an- 
nouncing the  principles  of  the  kingdom 
he  came  to  establish,  recorded  in  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  "the  people  were 
astonished  at  his  doctrine:  for  he 
taught  them  as  one  having  authority, 
and  not  as  the  scribes"  (Matthew  7: 
28,  29).  When  Jesus  gave  the  invita- 
tion and  promise  on  the  great  day  of 
the  feast  (John  7:37),  many  of  the 
people  said,  "Of  a  truth  this  is  the 
Prophet.''  Still  others  said,  "This  is 
the  Christ.''  At  once  they  associate 
him  with  God. 

Those  who  w^ere  not  jealous  of  him 
recognized  his  true  relation  to  the 
Father.  One  of  the  Jews,  a  Pharisee, 
a  ruler,  a  teacher  in  Israel,  came  to 
him  and  said,  "Rabbi,  we  know  that 
thou  art  a  teacher  come  from  God ;  for 
no  man  can  do  these  miracles  that  thou 

16 


ie^ujEi'  SDetotiott  to  tit  iFatJet 

doest,  except  God  be  with  him^'  (John 
3:2). 

The  disciples  who  were  intimatelj^ 
associated  with  him  in  his  life  and  min- 
istry, observing  his  devotion  to  the  Fa- 
ther, are  not  silent.  Upon  one  occasion 
Jesus  said  to  them,  "Whom  do  men 
say  that  I  the  Son  of  man  am?"  They 
told  him  that  some  say  John  the  Bap- 
tist, Isaiah,  or  Jeremiah.  But  when 
he  said,  "Whom  say  ye  that  I  am?'' 
Peter  said,  "Thou  art  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  the  living  God.'' 

When  we  desire  instruction,  we 
would  have  it  at  the  hand  of  one  who 
is  a  master  in  the  thing  itself.  The  dis- 
ciples had  heard  Jesus  pray  to  the  Fa- 
ther; better  still,  had  seen  his  prayer- 
life.  They  saw  how  devoted  he  was  and 
that  to  every  request  there  came  the 
answer,  so  they  came  to  him  and  said, 
"Lord,  teach  us  to  pray." 

The  multitude  of  curious  people  were 
trying,  in  one  way  and  another,  to  ac- 
count for  the  strange  manifestations 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost.    After  they 

2  17 


^aCJt  IBihlt  SDocttfiu  of  SD^totian 

had  said  it  was  due  to  one  thing,  and 
then  another,  Peter  arose  and  told 
them  that  this  which  they  both  saw  and 
heard  was  due  to  the  exaltation  of 
Jesus  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father ; 
which  the  Father  did  because  of  the 
unfailing  obedience  of  the  Son  to  the 
will  of  God. 

THE  CLAIM  OF  JESUS. 

The  key-note  of  Jesus'  life  was 
sounded  by  himself  when  he  said,  "I 
came  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do  mine 
own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that  sent 
me"  (John  6:38).  That  to  which 
Jesus  constantly  laid  claim  while  upon 
earth  was  his  doing  the  will  of  the 
Father.  When  he  prayed  he  always 
conditioned  it  upon  his  Father's  will. 
When  requested  by  his  disciples  to  eat 
after  a  weary  journey,  he  said,  "My 
meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent 
me"  (John  4:34).  Long  ages  before 
his  birth  the  prophet  said  of  him,  "Lo, 
I  come  to  do  thy  will,  O  God."  The 
will  of  God  is  supreme,  and  he  would 

18 


'it&W  SDebotion  to  tje  jFatJet 

have  all  render  absolute  obedience  to 
it.  "In  heaven  the  angels  find  their 
highest  blessedness  in  doing  God's  will. 
For  this  man  was  created  with  a  free 
will,  in  order  that  he  might  have  the 
power  to  choose,  and  of  his  own  accord 
do  the  will  of  God.  Deceived  by  the 
devil,  man  committed  the  great  sin  of 
rather  doing  his  own  will  than  God's 
will.  Jesus  became  man  to  bring  us 
back  to  the  blessedness  of  doing  the 
will  of  God." 

During  his  whole  life  upon  the  earth, 
Jesus  never  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that 
he  was  here,  sent  of  the  Father  to  ful- 
fill the  Father's  mission.  In  all  he  said 
or  did  he  never  laid  claim  to  his  inde- 
pendence. So  devoted  was  he  to  the 
Father  that  he  would  not  even  lay 
claim  to  his  own  teaching  or  the  words 
he  spoke.  He  performed  untold  mir- 
acles, and  the  multitudes  followed  to 
see  him  manifest  his  power.  The  law- 
yers and  doctors  were  confounded  by 
his  wisdom,  and  the  people  astonished 
at  his  wonderful  works,  yet  he  would 

19 


^Jt  "Bihlz  SDocttine  of  SDebotion 

say,  "I  do  nothing  of  myself;  but  as 
my  Father  hath  taught  me,  I  speak 
these  things.  And  he  that  sent  me  is 
with  me;  the  Father  hath  not  left  me 
alone;  for  I  do  always  those  things 
that  please  him''  (John  8 :  28,  29) .  In 
all  he  said  and  did  he  continually  laid 
claim  to  his  devotion  to  the  Father, 
using  repeatedly  the  expression,  "The 
Father  hath  sent  me."  It  will  repay 
you  to  see  how  frequently  he  used  this 
expression,  as  he  spoke  about  his  mis- 
sion, ever  striving  to  make  the  people 
see  that  he  did  not  act  independently, 
but  always  on  behalf  of  the  Father,  to 
whom  his  life  was  most  loyally  devoted. 
(John  5:24,  30,  37,  38;  6:38,  39,  40, 
44;  7:16,  28,  29,  33;  8: 16,  18,  26,  29, 
42;  9:4;  11:42;  12:44,  45,  49;  13:20; 
14:24;  15:21;  17:8,  18,  21,  23,  25; 
20:21.) 

Not  only  did  Jesus  claim  that  he  was 
sent  of  God,  and  that  he  always  did  his 
will,  but  he  claimed  such  devotion  that 
he  could  say  that  he  and  the  Father 
were  one.   In  his  priestly  prayer  (John 

20 


Jit^tx^'  SDebotion  to  tje  jFatlier 

17)  he  repeatedly  addressed  the  Father 
in  claims  of  oneness  with  him, 

THE  TESTIMONY  OF   JESUS'  LIFE. 

The  attitude  of  Jesus'  life  was  a  con- 
tinuous testimony  of  his  devotion  to 
the  Father.  Find  him  where  you  will 
and  he  is  in  the  perfect  will  of  God. 
Nothing  turns  him  aside  from  it,  no, 
not  even  death  itself.  How  significant 
of  his  devotion  to  the  Father  are  his 
first  and  last  recorded  words,  before 
his  death :  "Wist  ye  not  that  I  must 
be  about  my  Father's  business?'-  (Luke 
2 :  49 ) .  "It  is  finished"  ( John  19:30). 
From  first  to  last  his  life  is  in  perfect 
harmony  with  the  key-note — "I  came 
down  from  heaven,  not  to  do  mine  own 
will,  but  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me.'^ 
He  is  always  conscious  of  the  nearness 
of  the  Father,  and  accustomed  to 
speaking  to  him  as  to  one  of  his  dis- 
ciples standing  by. 

Robert  E.  Speer,  in  his  book,  "The 
Man  Christ  Jesus,"  writing  of  His 
prayerfulness,  says:     "In  all  the  exi- 

21 


^it  "Bihlt  SDoctrfiu  ot  SDebotion 

gencies  of  his  life  he  turned  to  the 
strength    of    prayer's    fellowship    in- 
stinctively.    The  great  events  of  his 
life  were  preceded  by  prayer ;  such  mir- 
acles as  his  w^alking  on  the  sea  and 
stilling  the  tempest   (Matthew  14:23- 
85),  feeding  the  four  thousand   (Mat- 
thew 15:36),  healing  the  lunatic  boy 
(Mark     9:14-29),     raising     Lazarus 
(John    11:41,    42),    feeding   the    five 
thousand  (John  6 :  11)  ;  such  outgoings 
of  power  as  his  upholding  Peter  upon 
the  sea,  and  the  healing  of  multitudes 
;at  Gennesaret  (Matthew  14 :  23,  31-36). 
The  people  connected  his  prayers  with 
helpful  influences,  and  brought  little 
children  to  him,  "that  he  should  lay 
his  hands  on  them  and  pray"  ( Matthew 
19:13,    K.    y.).      The    choice    of    the 
Twelve  and  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
were  preceded  by  a  night  of  prayer 
(Luke  6 :  12, 13),  and  Peter's  great  con- 
fession was  made  after  the  disciples 
had  seen  Jesus  engaged  in  prayer  alone 
(Luke  9: 18,  20)/  The  transfiguration 


22 


3[e0tt0*  SDebotfon  to  tje  iFatJer 

was  a  phenomenon  of  prayer  (Luke  9: 
28-36)/' 

Jesus  not  only  preceded  the  great 
events  of  his  life  with  prayer,  but  he 
followed  them  as  well  with  communion 
with  his  Father.  He  lived  continually 
beneath  the  shadow  of  the  cross,  and 
when  the  time  came  for  him  to  be  of- 
fered up,  he  did  not  turn  aside,  but 
'^stedfastly  set  his  face  to  go  to  Jeru- 
salem" (Luke  9:51).  He  would  not 
let  even  death  separate  him  from  the 
Father,  for  before  expiring  he  said, 
^^Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my 
spirit''  (Luke  23:  46). 

What  could  be  the  aim  of  a  life  of 
such  wonderful  devotion  to  God?  Was 
it  for  fame  or  praise  he  lived? 

Nay,  for  me  he  lived, 

For  me  his  blood  was  spilt. 

Let  his  life  teach  us  like  devotion  to 
the  Father  and  loving  sacrifice  for 
others. 

**And  now  what  more  shall  I  say?    Do  I  need  here 
To  draw  the  lesson  of  this  life,  or  say 
More  than  these  few  words? 
The  vine  from  every  living  limb  bleeds  wine ; 

23 


^^t  3ihlt  SDocttine  ot  SDebotion 


Is  it  the  poorer  for  that  spirit  shed? 

The  drunkard  and  the  wanton  drink  thereof, 

Are  they  the  richer  for  that  gift's  excess? 

Measure  thy  life  by  loss  instead  of  gain ; 

Not  by  the  wine  drunk,  but  the  wine  poured  forth; 

For  love's  strength  standeth  in  love's  sacrifice, 

And  whoso  suffers  most  hath  most  to  give." 


24 


j^inUrancefi;  to 
tl)e  SDetjottonal  3tife 


'One  look  at  that  pale,  suffering  face 
Will  make  us  feel  the  deep  disgrace 

Of  weakness. 
We  shall  be  sifted  till  the  strength 
Of  self-conceit  be  changed  at  length 

To  meekness. 

'Wounds  of  the  soul,  though  healed,  will  ache; 
The  reddening  scars  remain,  and  make 

Confession ; 
Lost  innocence  returns  no  more ; 
We  are  not  what  we  were  before 

Trangression. 

'But  noble  souls,  through  dust  and  heat. 
Rise  from  disaster  and  defeat 

The  stronger, 
And,  conscious  still  of  the  divine 
Within  them,  lie  on  earth  supine 

No  longer." 


26 


l^mtitanceie^  to  tit  2Dftiotional  %ite 


II 
^tnDrances  to  tbt  Deuotiotial  Mtt 

"We  rise  by  the  things  that  are  under  our  feet ; 
By  what  we  have  mastered  of  good  or  gain ; 
By  the  pride  deposed,  and  the  passion  slain, 
And  the  vanquished  ills  that  we  hourly  meet." 

The  Word  of  God  is  full  of  precious 
promises,  which,  in  the  lives  of  many 
Christians,  are  never  realized.  It 
speaks  of  God  keeping  the  believer  in 
perfect  peace.  It  promises  a  power  to 
enable  him  to  overcome  the  world.  It 
assures  him  that  his  life  may  be  made 
one  of  joy  unspeakable.  It  offers  him 
an  unerring  guide.  It  promises  a 
friend  and  companion  more  faithful 
than  a  brother. 

John  MacNeil,  in  "The  Spirit-Filled 
Life,"  says:  "On  every  hand  a  lack  of 
something  is  being  felt  and  expressed 
by  God's  people.  Their  Christian  ex- 
perience is  not  what  they  expected  it 

27 


^it  3ihlt  SDocttfnt  o£  SDtbotfott 

would  be.  Instead  of  expected  victory, 
it  is  oft-recurring,  dreaded  defeat;  in- 
stead of  soul  satisfaction,  it  is  soul 
hunger ;  instead  of  deep,  abiding  heart- 
rest,  it  is  disquiet  and  discontent;  in- 
stead of  advancing,  it  is  losing  ground. 
Is  this  all  Christ  meant  when  he  said, 
<Come  unto  me'?  Is  this  life  of  con- 
stant disappointment  the  normal  life 
of  the  Bible  Christian?  To  these  sad 
questionings  the  divine  Word  answers 
with  an  emphatic  *No,'  and  the  testi- 
mony of  an  ever-increasing  number  of 
God's  children  answers,  *No.' " 

Many  Christians  are  like  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  on  their  way  to  Canaan ; 
stopping  short  of  the  land  of  promise, 
they  said  the  promise  could  never  be 
realized.  "Yea,  they  despised  the 
pleasant  land;  they  believed  not  his 
word;  but  murmured  in  their  tents, 
and  hearkened  not  unto  the  voice  of  the 
Lord''  (Psalm  106:24,  25).  Every 
Christian  has  known  or  heard  of  those 
in  whom  God  has  wrought  mightily, 
both  in  the  pulling  down  of  the  strong- 

28 


I^intitanceief  to  t^t  SDel3ot(onal  JLitt 

holds  of  Satan,  and  a  life  of  peace  hid 
with  Christ  in  God;  yet  many  must 
confess  that  there  have  been  no  tides  of 
joy  flowing  like  a  river  through  their 
famishing  souls,  or  waves  of  spiritual 
power  for  the  combatting  of  sin  within 
or  without.  Where  is  the  trouble?  It 
surely  cannot  be  with  God  or  his  Word, 
for  he  is  not  slack  concerning  his  prom- 
ises, for  his  word  is  yea  and  amen  to 
those  who  believe.  If  there  is  disap- 
pointment and  failure,  it  is  with  man, 
for  God  is  willing  to  do  for  any  one  to- 
day what  he  did  for  Otterbein  or  Fin- 
ney or  Edwards  or  Paul.  If  the  fault 
lies  on  the  human  side,  what  is  it? 
Shall  we  not  search  for  it,  and  by  God's 
help  find  it,  and  put  it  away?  God  is 
wonderfully  solicitous  that  our  lives 
should  be  intensely  devotional,  that  we 
may  get  the  most  from  him,  and  that 
he  may  do  the  most  through  us. 

In  entering  upon  this  study  of  the 
things  which  hinder  the  devotional  life, 
can  all  say  with  David,  "Search  me,  O 
God,  and  know  my  heart;  try  me,  and 

29 


%fie  3iblt  SDocttfne  ot  SDebotion 

know  my  thoughts :  and  see  if  there  be 
any  wicked  way  in  me,  and  lead  me  in 
the  way  everlasting"  ( Psalm  139 :  23, 
24)?  After  the  divine  search-light  is 
turned  on,  and  the  thing  which  hinders 
is  revealed,  can  we  say,  "Purge  me  with 
hyssop,  and  I  shall  be  clean ;  wash  me, 
and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow'^ 
(Psalm  51: 7)? 

Present  known  sin  in  the  life  of  the 
believer  hinders  the  devotional  life. 
"Behold,  the  Lord's  hand  is  not  short- 
ened, that  it  cannot  save;  neither  his 
ear  heavy,  that  it  cannot  hear :  but  your 
iniquities  have  separated  between  you 
and  your  God,  and  your  sins  have  hid 
his  face  from  you,  that  he  will  not  hear. 
For  your  hands  are  defiled  with  blood, 
and  your  fingers  with  iniquity;  your 
lips  have  spoken  lies,  your  tongue  hath 
muttered  perverseness"  ( Isaiah  59 : 1- 
3).  The  children  of  Israel  realized 
that  the  Lord  was  not  doing  many 
mighty  works  in  and  through  them, 
and  they  were  seeking  to  know  the 
cause.    He  told  them  that  his  hand  was 

30 


l&(nlitance0  to  tit  SDebotional  JLitt 

not  shortened  that  he  could  not  save, 
and  that  his  ear  was  not  heavy  that  he 
could  not  hear.  He  said,  "Don't  look 
to  me  for  the  cause,  don't  blame  me 
for  the  trouble;  the  fault  is  not  with 
me;  look  to  yourselves."  He  says  to 
those  who  would  charge  the  fault  to 
him:  ^^Yoiir  iniquities  have  separated 
between  you  and  me;  your  sins  have 
hid  my  face  from  you,  that  I  will  not 
hear;  your  hands  are  defiled  with 
blood ;  your  fingers  with  iniquity ;  your 
lips  have  spoken  lies;  your  tongues 
have  muttered  perverseness,''  What  a 
charge !  When  God  shows  us  our  sins 
let  us  "own  up."  Do  not  answer  back 
as  did  the  people  to  whom  Malachi 
wrote.  God  charged  them  with  most 
serious  offenses,  and  they  denied  every 
one  of  them.  He  said,  "Your  priests 
have  despised  my  name" ;  and  they  said, 
^^ Wherein  have  we  despised  thy  name?" 
He  said,  "Ye  offered  polluted  bread 
upon  mine  altar";  and  they  said, 
^^Wherein  have  we  polluted  thee?"  He 
said,  "Ye  have  wearied  the  Lord  with 

31 


%it  1&ih\e  SDoctrine  ot  SDebotion 

your  words" ;  and  they  said,  ^^Wherein 
have  we  wearied  him?"  He  said,  "Ye 
have  robbed  me";  and  they  said, 
^'Wherein  have  we  robbed  thee?"  He 
said,  "Your  words  have  been  stout 
against  me";  and  they  said,  ^'Wherein 
have  we  spoken  against  thee?" 

Many  lives  are  hindered  from  ad- 
vancement and  strength  in  true  devo- 
tion by  the  sins  they  are  not  willing  to 
give  up.  Doctor  Torrey,  in  one  of  his 
stirring  addresses,  said:  "How  many 
men  and  women  of  ability  and  promise 
there  are  in  the  church  of  whom  we  ex- 
pect great  things,  but  they  always  dis- 
appoint us.  They  never  go  on.  They 
are  forever  coming  up  to  a  certain 
point,  but  there  they  stop.  The  work 
of  God  in  their  souls  that  you  expected 
is  not  wrought.  What  is  the  matter? 
Sin,  sin,  sin.  Oh,  if  you  would  have  a 
mighty  work  of  God  in  your  own  soul, 
search  your  heart  to-day;  and  if  God 
shows  you  some  sin,  give  it  up,  no  mat- 
ter if  it  is  like  tearing  out  your  heart- 


32 


l^intirance^  to  t^t  jDebotional  JLite 

strings.    It  hinders  a  mighty  work  of 
God  in  your  soul." 

Another  of  the  hindrances  to  the  de- 
votional life  is  unconfessed  sin.  "He 
that  covereth  his  sins  shall  not  pros- 
per: but  whoso  confesseth  and  forsak- 
eth  them  shall  have  mercy"  (Proverbs 
28: 13).  There  may  be  in  the  life  sins 
committed  long  ago,  and  because  you 
have  nearly  forgotten  them,  you  are  led 
to  think  that  God  has  forgotten;  but 
he  has  not.  You  have  been  trying  to 
cover  it  over  and  over  with  forgetful- 
ness,  but  remember  it  cannot  be  hid 
from  the  eye  that  never  sleeps.  Go 
make  confession  first  to  God,  for  it  may 
be  that  to  him  alone  you  need  to  con- 
fess. If  you  have  wronged  your  fellow- 
man, — taking  advantage  of  him  in 
some  business  transaction,  or  told  a  lie 
that  has  worked  his  ruin,  or  circulated 
a  slanderous  report  which  has  damaged 
his  character, — go  to  him  and  make  an 
honest  confession.  If  your  sin  was  of 
a  public  character,  then  public  confes- 
sion should  be  made.     Your  life  can 

3  33 


%it  3itlt  SDocttitu  ot  SDetotton 

never  be  truly  happy  and  filled  with 
power  until  the  sin  which  hinders  is 
confessed.  Man  may  not  forgive  you, 
but  if  you  are  sincere,  and  have  done 
your  best  in  making  restitution,  God 
will. 

"Next  in  merit  to  not  sinning  is  con- 
fessing sin.  The  three  hardest  words 
in  the  English  language  are,  ^I  was  mis- 
taken.' Frederick  the  Great  wrote  ta 
the  senate,  ^I  have  just  lost  a  great  bat- 
tle, and  it  was  entirely  my  own  fault.'^ 
Goldsmith  said,  ^This  confession  dis- 
played more  greatness  than  all  his  vic- 
tories.' Bacon  said,  *I  do  plainly  and 
ingenuously  confess  that  I  am  guilty 
of  corruption,  and  so  renounce  all  de- 
fense. I  beseech  your  lordship  to  be 
merciful  to  a  broken  reed.' " 

Giving  preeminence  to  the  self-life 
hinders  the  devotional  life.  "If  any 
man  will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny 
himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  fol- 
low me"  (Matthew  16:24).  God  al- 
ways wants  to  do  more  for  us  than  we 
believe.    We  want  God's  power  in  our 

84 


l^intirancegs  to  tSe  SDebational  fLitt 

lives,  but  we  want  it  our  way  instead 
of  his  way.  Like  Jacob,  wanting  to 
overcome  the  angel,  while  the  angel 
wanted  to  overcome  him.  In  the  aver- 
age Christian  there  is  a  constant  con- 
flict being  waged  between  the  flesh  and 
the  Spirit,  and  too  often  we  give  our 
influence  on  the  side  of  the  flesh  be- 
cause it  is  constantly  clamoring  for 
gratification,  and  its  gratification  is 
often  pleasant.  But  to  the  one  who 
will  yield  to  the  Spirit,  and  deny  the 
flesh,  keep  it  in  subjection,  yea,  even 
mortify  it,  there  will  be  no  condemna- 
tion. "To  be  carnally  minded  is  death ; 
but  to  be  spiritually  minded  is  life  and 
peace"  (Romans  S:6). 

Paul,  writing  to  the  Corinthian 
Christians,  speaks  of  their  carnality 
hindering  their  spiritual  development. 
"And  I,  brethren,  could  not  speak  unto 
you  as  unto  spiritual,  but  as  unto  car- 
nal, even  as  unto  babes  in  Christ.  I 
have  fed  you  with  milk,  and  not  witH 
meat :  for  hitherto  ye  were  not  able  to 
bear  it,  neither  yet  now  are  ye  able. 

35 


%it  3ihlt  SDoctriiu  of  SDetotion 

For  ye  are  yet  carnar^  ( I.  Corinthians 
3:1-3).  The  carnal  state  is  a  state  of 
prolonged  infancy.  A  babe  nourished 
on  milk  at  one  year  is  perfectly  proper, 
but  a  babe  at  twenty  years  nourished 
on  milk  is  a  calamity.  Such  were  the 
Christians  (spiritually)  at  Corinth. 
How  is  it  with  you? 

The  carnal  state  is  also  a  state  which 
incapacitates  the  soul  for  spiritual 
truth  and  exercise.  Instead  of  being 
themselves  teachers,  they  have  need  of 
some  one  teaching  them.  ( Hebrews  5 : 
12-14.)  The  carnal  state  is  also  a  state 
of  failure.  There  is  little  victory  over 
sin.  We  may  be  set  on  making  our 
life  holy,  and  our  life  victorious,  but 
if  we  are  under  the  dominion  of  the 
flesh-life  there  can  be  no  glorious  vic- 
tory. "Do  w^e  not  find  Christians  who 
in  some  respects  have  a  good  measure 
of  the  grace  of  God,  and  yet  have  never 
really  conquered  their  temper,  and  so 
when  another  says  a  sharp  thing  to 
them  they  give  a  sharp  reply?  How 
many  Christians  there  are  who  have 

36 


l^tntjrance^  to  tit  Btbotioml  %iU 

never  learned  to  love  as  God  wants 
them  to  love,  to  love  the  unlovable? 
What  is  this  but  that  they  are  yet  in 
the  carnal  state?  In  them  the  flesh  has 
more  power  than  the  Spirit." 

Jesus  once  sat  at  a  well  and  there 
came  a  woman  to  draw  water.  When 
he  asked  her  for  a  drink,  she  thought 
it  strange  that  he  being  a  Jew  should 
ask  drink  from  a  woman  of  Samaria. 
He  told  her  if  she  knew  who  was  speak- 
ing she  would  have  asked  drink  of  him, 
and  he  would  have  given  her  living 
w^ater.  He  showed  her  that  the  water 
she  had  was  unsatisfying  and  she 
would  thirst  again  and  have  to  come 
hither  to  draw;  and  that  he  had  water 
to  give  which  if  she  drank  she  would 
never  thirst  again,  neither  come  hither 
to  draw;  but  that  the  water  he  would 
give  would  be  in  her  a  well  of  living 
water,  springing  up  continually.  As 
soon  as  she  learned  this  she  said,  eager- 
ly, ^^Sir,  give  me  this  water,  that  I 
thirst  not,  neither  come  hither  to 
draw"     (eTohn    4:15).      Jesus    said, 

37 


%it  Bible  SDocttine  of  SDtbotion 

"Wait;  before  you  can  receive  this 
water,  there  is  something  in  your  life 
that  must  be  made  right.  'Go,  call  thy 
husband.' ''  So  with  the  child  of  God 
who  would  live  a  truly  devout  life.  Be- 
fore he  can  have  the  best  gifts  Heaven 
can  bestow,  he  must  be  prepared  to  re- 
ceive them. 

Dear  reader,  is  present  actual  sin- 
ning in  the  way?  Then  stop  it.  Is 
there  some  unconfessed  sin  you  have 
been  covering?  Then  confess  and  for- 
sake it.  Is  there  a  continual  seeking  to 
gratify  the  carnal  life  and  living  under 
the  dominion  of  self?  Then  deny  thy- 
self, and  take  up  thy  cross  and  follow 
Jesus. 


iTellotDfiljip  tottl)  <t5oD 


*I  would  converse  with  thee  from  day  to  day, 
With  heart  intent  on  what  thou  hast  to  say, 
And  through  my  pilgrim-walk,  whate'er  befall. 
Consult  with  thee,  O  Lord,  about  it  all. 
Since  thou  art  willing  thus  to  condescend 
To  be  my  intimate,  familiar  friend, 
Oh,  let  me  to  the  great  occasion  rise. 
And    count    thy    friendship    life's    most    glorious 
prize." 


40 


JFellotojaffiip  toitfi  (Bod 


III 

"Just  to  listen  and  to  stay 

Where  you  cannot  miss  His  voice. 
This  is  all ;  and  thus  to-day, 
Communing,  you  shall  rejoice." 

In  saving  a  soul  from  the  guilt  of 
sin,  God  does  not  abandon  it  to  live  as 
best  it  can  the  life  he  requires.  We  are 
given  the  power  whereby  we  may  live 
the  truly  devout  life,  as  truly  as  we 
have  been  ransomed  from  the  guilt  of 
sin.  (Romans  5:10.)  The  redeemed 
soul  has  been  brought  into  the  most 
blessed  relations  with  Christ  and  the 
Father.  We  are  no  more  strangers  and 
foreigners,  but  fellow-citizens.  ( Ephe- 
sians  2 :  19 ;  I.  John  3:1;  Romans  8 : 
14-17.)  'As  redeemed  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  God,  we  are  taken  into  partner- 
ship with  him.  (I.  Corinthians  3:9.) 
Such  privileges  and  relationships  re- 

41 


^^t  15ihlt  SDocttfttt  ot  SDtbotion 

quire  that  we  be  in  the  closest  commun- 
ion  and  fellowship  with  him. 

PRAYER. 

"Prayer  is  the  soul's  sincere  desire. 
Uttered  or  unexpressed ; 
The  motion  of  a  hidden  fire 
That  trembles  in  the  breast. 

"Praj^er  is  the  burden  of  a  sigh, 
The  falling  of  a  tear, 
The  upward  glancing  of  an  eye, 
When  none  but  God  is  near. 

"Prayer  is  the  simplest  form  of  speech 
That  infant  lips  can  try ; 
Prayer,  the  sublimest  strains  that  reach 
The  Majesty  on  high. 

"Prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath, 
The  Christian's  native  air ; 
His  watchword  at  the  gates  of  death ; 
He  enters  heaven  with  prayer." 

We  must  ever  remember  that  prayer 
rises  far  above  the  mere  reciting  of 
words.  The  rhetorical  form  may  be 
ever  so  beautiful,  and  the  thing  desired 
requested  in  the  most  fitting  petition, 
but  if  our  soul  does  not  breathe 
through  it,  it  is  not  prayer.  "God  does 
not  listen  for  words ;  he  wants  to  hear 
me."  Prayer  is  the  breathing  God- 
ward  our  desires.  We  may  be  helped 
to   a   proper   understanding   of  what 

42 


JFdIotQ06ip  Mti  dSoU 


prayer  is  from  some  who  have  not  only; 
written  about  it,  but  who  have  had  ex- 
perience in  the  thing  itself : 

"Prayer  is  an  acknowledgment  of 
our  dependence  upon  God  and  his  all- 
sufficiency  to  supply  our  needs. 
Prayer,  in  its  very  nature,  is  an  expres- 
sion of  want  and  an  earnest  desire  for 
help.  God  only  is  independent;  man 
is  dependent  in  the  broadest  sense. 
Prayer,  therefore,  is  the  weak  looking 
to  the  strong  for  strength ;  it  is  the  ig- 
norant looking  to  the  wise  for  wis- 
dom."— Weaver. 

"Prayer  pulls  the  rope  below  and  the 
great  bell  rings  above  in  the  ears  of 
God.  Some  scarcely  stir  the  bell,  for 
they  pray  so  languidly;  others  give  an 
occasional  pluck  at  the  rope;  but  he 
who  wins  with  Heaven  is  the  man  who 
grasps  the  rope  boldly,  and  pulls  con- 
tinuously, with  all  his  might." — Spur- 
geon. 

"The  spiritual  life  with  its  growth 
depends  in  great  measure  on  prayer. 
According  as  I  pray  much  or  little, 

43 


%it  3ihlt  SDocttiiu  of  SDebotion 

pray  with  pleasure  or  as  a  duty,  pray 
according  to  the  Word  of  God  or  my 
own  inclinations,  will  my  life  flourish 
or  decay." — Miirray. 

"Prayer  is  the  lifting  up  of  the  heart 
to  God;  all  words  of  prayer  without 
this  are  mere  hypocrisy." — Wesley. 

"Prayer  willingly  flyeth  incessant 
Twixt  the  earth  and  the  sky,  the  carrier-pigeon  of 
heaven."  — Bishop  Tegner. 

Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler  says :  "The 
last  hour  I  spent  with  my  beloved 
friend  Spurgeon  was  spent  at  family 
worship.  After  I  had  concluded  my 
prayer,  he  chimed  in  with  a  most  won- 
derfully simple,  fervent,  artless  con- 
verse with  God ;  it  was  like  the  reverent 
talk  of  a  child  with  the  best  of  fathers. 
After  I  heard  that  marvelous  prayer,  I 
said  to  myself,  ^Now  I  know  the  secret 
hiding-place  of  Spurgeon's  power.'  " 

Were  we  to  consider  what  has  been 
wrought  by  the  prayers  of  believing 
saints,  there  would  be  no  end  of  writ- 
ing. The  divine  Word  is  full  of  prayers 
and    accounts    of    what    they    have 

44 


JFdIoto0]6i{i  Mti  (Boti 


wrought.  Volumes  have  been  written 
enumerating  some  of  the  wonderful 
works  of  grace,  the  marvelous  cures  of 
many  sick,  and  the  maintenance  of 
charitable  institutions,  wrought  in  an- 
swer to  prayer. 

What  does  the  Word  of  God  say  con- 
cerning this  phase  of  our  devotional 
life?  First  of  all,  we  have  the  example 
of  Jesus.  ( Mark  1:35.)  Again  we  see 
him  sending  the  multitudes  away  that 
he  might  go  apart  awhile  and  pray. 
Would  you  have  power  with  God,  then 
study  Christ's  prayer  recorded  in  the 
seventeenth  chapter  of  John,  and  pray 
in  the  spirit  of  resignation,  as  he 
prayed.  Do  you  ask  the  Great  Teacher 
himself  to  teach  you  to  pray?  I  fear 
that  too  often  we  read  hooks  that  we 
may  know  how  to  pray,  instead  of  ask- 
ing Him  to  whom  the  apostles  spoke 
when  they  said,  "Lord,  teach  us  to 
pray"  (Luke  11:1). 

"0  thou  by  whom  we  come  to  God, 
The  Life,  the  Truth,  the  Way! 
The  path  of  prayer  thyself  hath  trod ; 
Lord,  teach  us  how  to  pray." 
45 


%^t  3ihlt  SDoctrine  ot  SDebotion 

Our  Master  has  made  praying  as  sim- 
ple as  it  is  possible  to  be  made.  He 
said,  "Ask,"  "seek,"  "knock,"  and  gave 
US  promise  of  fulfillment.  (Matthew 
7 :  7,  8. )  He  has  further  given  us  in- 
struction in  that  he  said,  "When  thou 
prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet,  and 
when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to 
thy  Father  which  is  in  secret ;  and  thy 
Father  which  seeth  in  secret  shall  re- 
ward thee  openly"  { Matthew  6:6).  In 
this  he  has  suggested  (as  some  one  has 
said)  the  period,  place,  privacy,  per- 
sons, and  promise  in  prayer:  "Period 
for  prayer — Vhen  thou  prayest.'  Place 
for  prayer — ^enter  into  thy  closet.' 
Privacy  of  prayer — ^shut  thy  door.' 
Persons  in  prayer — 'pray  to  thy  Fa- 
ther.' Promise  for  prayer — ^he  shall 
reward  thee.' " 

Jesus  has  instructed  us  as  well 
how  not  to  pray,  as  how  to  pray. 
( Matthew  6:7.)  Let  us  live  in  the  at- 
mosphere of  prayer  continually,  for  we 
are  taught  that  "men  ought  always  to 
pray." 

46 


jfdIotQ0gip  \x>itfl  (I5oti 


Some  who  will  read  these  lines  are 
fathers.  Can  your  children  say  of  you 
what  the  great  missionary,  John  G. 
Paton,  said  of  his  father?  "If  there  is 
any  blessing  in  my  life,  it  is  due  to  my 
father.  Three  times  a  day  we  passed 
the  little  closet  where  my  father  was 
before  God.  We  went  on  tiptoe,  lest 
we  should  disturb  him.  We  knew  that 
the  high  priest  of  the  family  was  stand- 
ing in  the  holy  of  holies."  Lord,  teach 
us  such  devotion  to  thee  as  that. 

ALONE   WITH   GOD. 

This  is  such  a  busy  age  that  we 
scarcely  take  time  to  think.  When 
Frances  R.  Havergal  was  asked  why 
the  church  did  not  accomplish  more, 
she  replied,  "It  is  because  Christians 
do  not  spend  enough  time  alone  with 
God."  A  prize  was  once  offered  to  the 
individual  who  would  rule  the  largest 
number  of  microscopic  lines  in  the 
space  of  an  inch.  Many  tried  for  the 
prize,  but  the  successful  contestant  was 
one  who  took  his  work  and  went  alone 

47 


^it  3iblt  SDocttitu  ot  SDtbotion 

in  the  solitude  of  a  mountain,  where, 
away  from  the  noise  and  the  confusion 
of  the  busy  world,  he  could  give  his 
time  to  the  work  in  hand  with  nothing 
to  distract.  Might  we  not  be  able  to 
rule  some  of  the  finer  and  more  delicate 
lines  in  our  Christian  character  if  we 
spent  more  time  alone  with  God? 

**Take  time  to  be  holy ;  speak  oft  with  thy  Lord ; 
Abide  in  him  always,  and  feed  on  his  Word." 

Let  us  learn  some  biblical  lessons  on 
devotion  from  some  who  have  been 
alone  with  God. 

Alone  with  God,  Moses  gets  God's 
plan  for  his  life.  (Exodus  3:1-14.) 
Moses  had  for  forty  years  tried  life  in 
Egypt,  largely  in  the  court  of  Pharaoh. 
Then  he  tried  the  life  of  a  shepherd. 
Still  this  was  not  God's  plan  for  him. 
One  day  an  ordinary  bush  by  the  way- 
side was  all  aglow,  and  he  said,  "I  will 
turn  aside  and  see  what  this  strange 
sight  is."  God  was  in  it,  and  spake  to 
him  out  of  the  bush  and  gave  him  his 
plan  for  his  life.  Oh,  if  we  were  not  so 
busy  and  would  turn  aside  more  to  be 

48 


jfdloto^l^tp  toit]^  dSoti 


alone  with  God,  we,  like  Moses,  might 
hear  him  give  to  us  some  great  com- 
mission, or  change  for  our  blessing  and 
his  glory  the  plan  of  our  life.  Dear 
young  reader,  are  you  anxious  what 
shall  be  your  calling,  or  to  what  you 
shall  give  your  life?  Do  not  choose 
anything  until  you  have  gone  alone 
often  with  God  and  asked  him  about  it. 
You  may  feel  like  Moses  and  say, 
^^Lord,  who  am  I  that  I  should  do  this? 
I  am  not  able."  But  if  he  has  marked 
out  your  path,  he  will  say  to  you,  as 
he  said  to  Moses,  "I  will  go  with  thee." 
Alone  with  God,  Abraham  is  tested. 
(Genesis  12: 1-12.)  On  Mount  Moriah 
God  proves  him.  Up  until  God  asked 
him  to  sacrifice  Isaac,  his  life  had  been 
one  of  successive  separations.  He  was 
called  upon  to  leave  Ur,  then  Haran, 
then  Egypt,  and  next  Lot.  Was  not 
this  sufficient?  Why  must  he  separate 
himself  from  Isaac  in  this  cruel  way? 
The  rest  he  could  understand ;  this  was 
mysterious.  How  could  God  fulfill  his 
promise   if   Isaac   were   slain?     But, 

4  49 


<3t8e  3ibU  SDocttftu  ot  SDttiotton 

thought  he,  why  do  I  reason  thus? 
God  has  commanded ;  I  must  obey.  He 
prepares  for  the  journey  to  Mount 
Moriah.  The  servants  and  asses  are 
left  at  the  foot  of  the  mount.  Abra- 
ham, with  his  treasure,  ascended  the 
mountain  to  be  alone  with  God.  The 
altar  is  made,  the  wood  is  placed,  and 
the  son  is  put  upon  it.  The  hand  hold- 
ing the  knife  is  raised ;  then  God  says, 
"It  is  enough,  Abraham."  He  stood 
the  test.  Nothing,  not  even  his  only 
son,  could  stand  between  him  and  his 
obedience  to  God. 

"The  dearest  idol  I  have  known, 
Whate'er  that  idol  be, 
Help  me  to  tear  it  from  thy  throne 
And  worship  only  thee." 

God  wants  the  first  place  in  our 
lives,  and  therefore  would  have  us  will- 
ing to  yield  up  anything  for  him.  Does 
God  call  you  to  a  life  of  separation,  go 
alone  and  ask  him  to  help  you  to  yield. 

Alone  with  God,  Jacob  is  prepared 
to  meet  his  angry  brother.  (Genesis 
32:22-30.)      Jacob    and    his    brother 

50 


iFelloto^fiip  toitS  (Boti 


Esau  became  estranged,  and  the  former 
had  to  leave  the  country.  After  years 
of  absence,  he  returns  with  his  family 
and  cattle.  His  brother  learning  of  it 
gathers  together  four  hundred  men, 
and  goes  to  meet  him,  not  on  the  most 
friendly  terms.  Something  must  be 
done.  Jacob  is  not  able  in  his  own 
strength  to  meet  his  angry  brother  and 
prevail  over  him.  He  sends  his  family 
and  all  he  has  over  the  brook  and 
spends  the  night  alone  with  the  angel 
of  God.  The  night  is  one  of  struggling. 
Jacob,  wanting  strength  with  which  to 
meet  his  brother,  seeks  to  prevail  over 
the  angel.  At  last  the  dawn  ap- 
proaches, and  the  angel  must  go,  so  he 
cripples  Jacob.  Jacob,  however,  ob- 
tains the  blessing — not  as  many  a 
preacher  has  mistakenly  preached,  and 
many  a  worker  has  advised  a  seeking 
soul  at  the  altar  of  prayer,  by  wrestling 
and  overcoming,  but  by  confessing  and 
yielding.  The  angel  asked  him  his 
name,  and  he  said,  "Jacob,"  which 
means  a  cheat,  a  supplanter.    This  he 

51 


^it  TBihlt  SDDCttfiu  0t  2Debotion 

was,  and  before  he  could  obtain  the 
blessing  he  must  confess  to  God.  This 
he  did  in  humility  and  weeping. 
( Hosea  12 :  4. )  Now  his  name  is 
changed  and  he  is  made  a  prince.  Now 
he  has  power.  Now  he  can  meet  Esau. 
O  child  of  God,  are  jou  contending 
with  your  Master?  know  that  by  so  do- 
ing you  will  obtain  nothing.  The  only 
way  to  prevail  with  God  is  to  submit 
to  him.  God  wants  to  gain  the  victory 
over  us  only  that  he  may  hand  it  back 
to  us  in  power  for  service. 

How  did  the  brothers  meet  the  next 
day?  Not  in  battle,  as  they  expected. 
*^4nd  Esau  ran  to  meet  him,  and  em- 
braced him,  and  fell  on  his  neck,  and 
kissed  him:  and  they  wept''  (Genesis 
33:4).  All  praise  to  His  name,  for 
while  Jacob  was  alone  with  God  seek- 
ing preparation  to  meet  his  angry 
brother,  God  was  preparing  Esau's 
heart  for  the  meeting,  also. 

A  friend  of  mine  had  been  having 
trouble  in  getting  along  with  his  ten- 
ant on  his  farm,  and  there  had  been  un- 

52 


ifeIl0tD0f)(p  toitS  (I5oti 


kind  words  spoken  on  both  sides.  The 
time  came  when  the  landlord  must  give 
the  tenant  notice  to  vacate.  He 
dreaded  the  ordeal,  for  he  knew  the 
spirit  of  the  man.  I  advised  him  to 
spend  some  time  alone  with  God  about 
it,  as  Jacob  did.  He  did  so,  and, 
strange  to  say, — no,  not  strange,  for  it 
is  the  way  God  always  helps  when  we 
go  alone  to  him, — the  transaction  of 
the  next  day  had  in  it  nothing  of  un- 
pleasantness whatever. 

Alone  with  God  we  find  comfort  and 
encouragement  when  discouraged  and 
disheartened.  In  I.  Kings  19 : 1-14, 
!Ahab  the  king  told  Jezebel  what  Elijah 
had  done,  and  she  threatened  his  life, 
and  he  fled  a  day's  journey  into  the 
wilderness,  and  there,  lying  down  un- 
der a  juniper-tree,  he  asked  God  to  let 
him  die.  Weary,  worn,  and  disheart- 
ened, he  thought  death  was  the  best 
thing  God  could  give  him;  but  God 
knew  what  was  best ;  so  he  gave  him  a 
good  night's  sleep  and  a  refreshing 
breakfast,  in  the  strength  of  which  he 

53 


CJe  3ihlt  SDocttiiu  of  SDebotton 

went  a  forty  days'  and  nights'  journey 
to  Horeb,  the  mount  of  God,  where  he 
lodged  in  a  cave.  "And  the  word  of 
the  Lord  came  to  him,  and  he  said  unto 
him,  What  doest  thou  here,  Elijah? 
And  he  said,  I  have  been  very  jealous 
for  the  Lord  God  of  hosts :  for  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  have  forsaken  thy  cov- 
enant, thrown  down  thine  altars,  and 
slain  thy  prophets  with  the  sword ;  and 
I,  even  I  only,  am  left;  and  they  seek 
my  life,  to  take  it  away"  ( I.  Kings  19 : 
9,  10).  The  Lord  placed  him  on  the 
mountain  and  then  he  passed  by  in  a 
great,  destroying  wind,  and  in  an  earth- 
quake, and  in  a  fire,  and  showed  Elijah 
his  power.  When  Elijah  stood  at  the 
entrance  to  the  cave,  the  Lord  said  to 
him,  "What  doest  thou  here,  Elijah?'' 
And  he  said,  "I  have  been  very  jealous 
for  the  Lord  God  of  hosts :  because  the 
children  of  Israel  have  forsaken  thy 
covenant,  thrown  down  thine  altars, 
and  slain  thy  prophets  with  the  sword ; 
and  I,  even  I  only,  am  left;  and  they 
seek  my  life,  to  take  it  away."    Where- 

54 


Jfell0\))0|lip  bits  CSoti 


upon  the  Lord  said  to  him,  "Elijah, 
don^t  be  so  discouraged,  for  your  work 
is  not  nearly  completed.  You  are  to 
anoint  Hazael  to  be  king  over  Syria, 
and  Jehu  to  be  king  over  Israel,  and 
Elisha  thou  shall  anoint  to  be  prophet 
in  thy  stead.  And  then  do  not  think 
you  are  the  only  one  I  have  left,  for  ^I 
have  left  me  seven  thousand  in  Israel, 
all  the  knees  which  have  not  bowed 
unto  Baal,  and  every  mouth  which  hath 
not  kissed  him'  "  (I.  Kings  19 :  18).  So 
the  old  prophet  set  about  the  work  of 
the  Lord  and  took  on  a  new  lease  of 
life.  Dear  reader,  are  you  ever  discour- 
aged and  disheartened?  do  you  ever  get 
a  spell  of  "the  blues"?  Then  get  alone 
with  God  and  talk  it  over  with  him. 

"A  little  talk  with  Jesus 
Makes  it  right,  all  right." 

Or,  are  you,  a  member  of  the  church, 
somewhat  inclined  to  taking  a  pessi- 
mistic view  of  things?  Instead  of  com- 
plaining and  sighing  for  the  "good  old 
times,'' 

"Take  it  to  the  Lord  in  prayer." 
55 


'atfie  ©ibie  SDocttitu  ot  SDebotfon 

At  last  the  Lord  sees  that  Elijah's 
work  on  earth  is  done,  and  so  he  says 
to  him,  "Elijah,  you  remember  that  re- 
quest you  made  of  me  under  the  juni- 
per-tree." He  answers,  "Yes,  Lord, 
that  I  might  die."  "Well,  Elijah,  it 
shall  never  be  granted;  I  have  some- 
thing better  for  you  [how  he  always 
exceeds  our  requests].  Get  ready,  for 
soon  my  chariots  and  horsemen  will  be 
along."  The  old  prophet  prepares  for 
the  translation,  and  after  a  while  they 
come  and  he  steps  in  and  off  they  go 
in  a  whirlwind.  As  they  near  the  celes- 
tial city  they  hear  music  and  the  pearly 
gates  swing  ajar  and  a  band  of  angels 
come  to  welcome  them.  Then  methinks 
I  hear,  as  some  one  has  said,  the  old 
prophet  of  God  say  to  the  horsemen,. 
"This  beats  dying  under  a  juniper-tree^ 
don't  it?" 

COMMUNION. 

Communion  is  fellowship  with  God. 
The  proper  understanding  of  the  word 
is,  what  we  have  in  common  with  an- 
other.    In  the  commonly  accepted  un- 

56 


iFeIIotP0]gip  toitlg  (EdU 


derstanding  of  prayer,  we  speak  occa- 
sionally to  God  and  ask  him  for  the 
things  we  desire.  In  communion  the 
soul  not  only  comes  into  occasional 
touch  with  the  Divine,  but  is  in  un- 
broken, uninterrupted  communion  or 
fellowship  with  him.  *'He  that  dwell- 
eth  in  the  secret  place  of  the  most 
High  shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of 
the  Almighty"  (Psalm  91:1). 

Doctor  Kingsbury  beautifully  says: 
"What  we  know  of  communion  with 
our  fellow-men  will  help  to  make  clear 
the  idea  of  communion  with  God. 
There  are  those  among  men  with  whom 
we  come  in  contact,  with  whom  we  have 
little  especially  in  common.  Our  occu- 
pations, our  tastes,  our  ambitions  do 
not  run  along  the  same  lines.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  are  those  with  whose 
tastes,  whose  pursuits,  whose  mental 
and  moral  characteristics,  we  are  in 
complete  sympathy.  With  such  we 
have  communion  because  of  these  many 
things  which  we  have  in  common.  So 
when  we  have  a  sense  of  God's  presence 

57 


^I6t  3itlt  SDoctrine  o(  SDebotion 

in  all  that  pertains  to  our  spiritual  be- 
ing, when  our  views  of  his  greatness 
and  goodness  and  holiness  are  right, 
when  we  realize  his  claims  upon  our 
love  and  service,  then  there  are  things 
in  common  between  us,  and  we  can,  and 
instinctively  do,  enter  into  communion 
with  him.  We  enjoy  the  same  things 
which  he  enjoys.  We  think  his 
thoughts  after  him.  We  are  impelled 
to  try  to  do  those  things  which  shall 
build  up  his  kingdom.  We  love  him 
with  all  tenderness.  We  rejoice  in  the 
sense  of  his  friendship." 

It  is  not  enough  to  get  alone  with 
God  and  then  pour  out  to  him  our  grief 
and  sorrow.  We  may  speak  to  him  and 
it  becomes  a  blessed  joy,  but  we  must 
know  that  deeper  joy  which  follows 
when  we  abide  with  him  alone  in  si- 
lence. David  had  learned  this  secret 
of  great  joy  in  devotion,  as  we  observe 
the  reading  of  the  margin  of  these 
verses:  "Be  silent  to  the  Lord,  and 
wait  patiently  for  him"  (Psalm  37:  7). 
^^Truly  my  soul  is  silent  upon  God; 

58 


Sfttto^^iip  toitlft  dBoH 


from  him  cometh  my  salvation'^ 
(Psalm  62:1).  "My  soul,  be  thou 
silent  unto  God,  for  my  expectation  is 
from  him^'  (Psalm  62:5).  The  secret 
of  true  devotion  to,  and  abiding  in 
Christ  is  our  being  able  to  be  quiet 
with  him.  Until  we  have  learned  the 
secret  of  quiet  communion  with  the 
Father  through  the  Spirit  we  have  not 
learned  the  divine  art  of  reading  God's 
Word  or  enjoying  prayer.  "Under  a 
sense  of  divine  nearness,  the  soul,  feel- 
ing how  self  is  always  ready  to  assert 
itself,  and  intrude  even  into  the  holiest 
of  all  with  its  thoughts  and  efforts, 
yields  itself  in  a  quiet  act  of  self-sur- 
render to  the  teaching  and  working  of 
the  Divine  Spirit.  It  is  still  and  waits 
in  holy  silence,  until  all  is  calm  and 
ready  to  receive  the  revelation  of  the 
divine  will  and  presence.  Its  reading 
and  prayer  then  become  a  waiting  on 
God  with  ear  and  heart  open  and 
purged  to  receive  fully  only  what  he 
says." 

Rev.  G.  Campbell  Morgan,  D.  D.,  in 

59 


^ie  3ible  S>otttim  o(  SDebotion 

one  of  his  addresses,  says:  ^^In  everj^ 
life  there  ought  to  be  time  for  the  prac- 
tice of  fellowship  with  God.  Here  is 
one  peril  of  the  age.  Oh,  this  rushing, 
restless,  feverish  age!  It  is  one  of  the 
greatest  perils  that  threatens  the  min- 
ister in  this  day,  the  peril  of  having 
no  time  for  cultivation  of  fellowship 
with  God.  We  are  swept  off  our  feet 
by  the  rush  of  our  work,  carried  along 
from  day  to  day,  tumbling  like  a  turbid 
stream,  and  there  is  no  restfulness,  no 
practice  of  fellowship,  no  time  for  it. 
Time  for  everything  else,  but  not  for 
that,  and  everything  is  weakened  for 
lack  of  it.  Oh,  we  need  time  for  quiet, 
actual  communion  and  fellowship  with 
God." 


60 


Cl)e  ^lelUeD  5Life 


"I  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies 
of  God,  that  ye  present  your  bodies  a  living  sacri- 
fice, holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  your  rea- 
sonable service"   (Romans  12:  1). 

''Consecration'*  is  a  blessed  word,  but  people 
seem  to  have  an  idea  that  consecration  means 
coming  every  now  and  then  to  give  ourselves  up  to 
God  anew.  We  cannot  consecrate  and  reconse- 
crate. The  word  that  helps  me  most  is  abandon- 
ment. It  indicates  my  falling  back  upon  God.— 
Geo.  H.  C.  Macgreggor. 


62 


•BDJf  Sielntti  JLitt 


IV 

€lit  gielDeD  Mt 

**THere  is  a  holier,  sweeter  rest 

Than  the  lulling  rest  from  pain; 
A  richer  calm  than  that  which  sleep 

Sheds  over  heart  and  brain. 
It  is  the  sou  Is  surrendered  choice. 

The  settling  of  the  will, 
Lying  down  calmly  at  His  feet, 

His  purpose  to  fulfill." 

Many  who  lay  claim  to  a  devout  life 
have  yielded  only  their  sins  to  Christ. 
The  thought  of  living  a  life  absolutely 
yielded  to  God,  or  wholly  surrendered 
to  the  will  of  Christ,  has  never  serious- 
ly entered  their  mind.  We  dare  not 
content  ourselves  with  the  thought  that 
all  Christ  meant  to  accomplish  for  us 
in  the  gift  of  himself  on  the  cross  was 
to  save  our  souls  from  hell.  True,  he 
saves  us  from  the  guilt  of  sin,  but  he 
also  offers  deliverance  from  the  power 
of  sin.  He  would  have  us  live  in  lov- 
ing, loyal  obedience  to  the  Holy  Spirit 


%lit  l&iblt  SDocttme  ot  SDetiotion 

dwelling  within  us.  We  would  not  dis- 
pute with  those  who  ask,  "Have  ye  re- 
ceived the  Holy  Ghost  since  ye  be- 
lieved?'' (Acts  19:2),  and  from  it 
teach  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  only  re- 
ceived subsequent  to  conversion. 

Paul  most  clearly  teaches  that  in  the 
dispensation  of  the  Spirit,  the  Holy 
Spirit  enters  the  believer  and  takes  his 
abode  in  him  at  regeneration.  Because 
the  apostle  found  those  who  had  "not 
so  much  as  heard  whether  there  be 
any  Holy  Ghost''  (Acts  19:2),  he 
questions  at  once  whether  they  are 
Christ's  disciples.  He  at  once  discov- 
ers the  trouble.  They  are  John's  dis- 
ciples. As  soon  as  he  preaches  Christ 
crucified  unto  them,  they  believe,  and 
are  baptized  and  receive  the  Holy 
Ghost.  The  apostle  clearly  teaches 
that  "if  any  man  have  not  the  spirit  of 
Christ,  he  is  none  of  his"  (Romans  8: 
9).  At  regeneration  the  Spirit  enters, 
and  it  may  be  possible  that  some 
are  not  as  fully  conscious  of  his 
presence  as  subsequently,  when  in  the 

64 


^it  gieintn  mtt 


light  of  further  revealed  truth  they  are 
led  to  a  definite  act  of  consecration, 
when  the  Spirit  takes  fuller  possession 
of  them. 

All  have  not  had  the  same  experi- 
ence. Many  Christians,  I  dare  say, 
have  been  conscious  of  nothing  beyond 
the  consciousness  of  sins  forgiven. 
Others  have  subsequently,  in  an  act  of 
consecration,  been  "filled  with  the 
Spirit.'^  Others  have  repeatedly,  as 
more  light  has  been  received,  yielded 
themselves  more  fully  to  God,  and  have 
enjoyed  the  presence  of  the  Spirit  in 
greater  manifestation.  The  Scriptures 
clearly  teach  that  the  attitude  of  the 
devout  life  toward  God  should  contin- 
ually be  Spirit-filled.  The  command 
is,  "Be  filled  with  the  Spirit''  (Ephe- 
sians  5:18).  "God's  commands  are 
his  enablings.'^  We  believe  it  to  be  the 
mind  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  definite 
teaching  of  the  Word  of  God,  that  each 
regenerate  life  should  be  a  life  abso- 
lutely yielded  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  kept 
yielded  ever  afterwards.     It  is  true 

5  65 


CSe  TBible  SDotttim  ot  SDebotion 

that  as  we  grow  in  the  Christian  life 
we  discover  many  things  we  can  no 
longer  consistently  do,  which  before 
were  never  questioned.  Increased 
knowledge  of  the  Word  of  God,  and 
closely  following  the  Spirit^s  leading^ 
will  reveal  to  us  many  things  not  yet 
surrendered. 

Rev.  P.  B.  Meyer  puts  it  this  way: 
"The  wife  sweeps  the  room  in  the  early 
morning  and  dusts  the  furniture. 
Toward  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  she 
discovers,  by  the  increased  light,  there 
is  some  dust  which  escaped  her  notice, 
so  she  removes  it.  Later  still,  at  noon- 
day, the  bright  sun  shining  through 
the  windows  reveals  more  dust  which 
the  former  dustings  did  not  remove." 
So  in  the  devotional  life.  'Ki  conver- 
sion we  give  ourselves  and  all  we  have 
to  the  Lord,  the  best  we  know  how. 
Later  the  Spirit  reveals  to  us  some- 
thing which  formerly  we  never  thought 
to  be  wrong,  and  then  that  is  yielded 
to  God.  So,  whether  at  conversion  or 
subsequently,  we  consecrate  or  surren- 

CG 


^I&e  gielDtti  ILitt 


der  ourselves  to  the  Lord,  our  whole 
life  should  be  yielded  to  God.  A  full 
appreciation  of  the  Christian  life  from 
this  view-point  will  greatly  help  to  cor- 
rect our  mistaken  understanding  of 
consecration — "a  word  that  is  very 
common  and  popular ;  much  more  com- 
mon and  popular,  it  is  feared,  than  the 
thing  itself." 

Consecration  is  one  of  the  greatest 
words  of  the  Bible,  yet  I  feel  it  has  been 
greatly  abused.  Much  so,  by  the  so- 
called  monthly  consecration  meetings 
of  our  Young  People's  societies.  When 
we  consecrate  ourselves  to  God  we  give 
to  him.  We  are  then  to  reckon  our- 
selves as  his.  Not  taking  back  the  gift 
and  using  it  for  a  month  as  our  own, 
and  then  taking  the  same  gift  to  the 
Lord  and  reconsecrating  (?)  it.  There 
lies  before  me  on  my  desk  a  pocket  Tes- 
tament, the  gift  of  my  beloved  wife,  on 
the  fly-leaf  of  which  she  wrote,  "The 
Lord  has  given  you  yourself,  what  will 
you  do  with  the  gift?"  That  book  is 
mine,  she  so  regards  it,  and  so  do  I. 

67 


%it  3ihU  SDoctthu  of  SDebotion 

She  does  not  come  to  me  every  few  days 
and  take  that  Testament  in  hand  and 
say,  "Here,  Edward,  I  want  to  give  you 
this  Testament."  That  would  be  ab- 
surd. 

The  claim  of  Christ  to  all  of  the  life 
of  every  one  who  would  be  his  child 
is  not  unreasonable.  He  has  redeemed 
us  with  his  own  precious  blood,  and 
offers  to  every  one  a  life  of  rich  bless- 
ing if  we  yield  ourselves  absolutely  to 
him.  He  knows  what  is  best  for  us. 
He  knows  perfectly  the  life  we  should 
live.  Why  not  let  him  have  full  pos- 
session and  say  with  Paul,  "I  have  been 
crucified  with  Christ;  yet  I  live;  and 
yet  no  longer  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in 
me:  and  that  life  which  I  now  live  in 
the  flesh  I  live  in  faith,  the  faith  which 
is  in  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me,  and 
gave  himself  for  me"  (Galatians  2:  20, 
R.  v.). 

"Now,  Lord,  I  would  be  thine  alone; 
Come,  take  possession  of  thine  own, 

For  thou  hast  set  me  free ; 
Released  from  Satan's  hard  commatad, 
See  all  my  powers  in  waiting  stand, 

To  be  employed  by  thee." 

68 


%it  gieltieti  JCite 


OUR  SUBSTANCE. 

In  the  truest  sense,  man  can  be  the 
absolute  owner  of  nothing.  Of  the 
material  wealth  of  the  world  he 
brought  nothing  with  him  when  he  was 
born,  and  when  the  spirit  leaves  the 
body  he  takes  nothing  with  him. 
^^Naked  came  I  out  of  my  mother's 
womb,  and  naked  shall  I  return 
thither''  (Job  1:21).  See  what  the 
Word  teaches  as  to  who  is  the  proprie- 
tor of  all  things:  Deuteronomy  10: 
U ;  Psalm  24 : 1 ;  I.  Chronicles  29 :  11, 
12;  Psalm  50:10,  12;  Exodus  9:29; 
Haggai  2 : 8. 

"There  is  no  truly  Christian  man 
who  keeps  an  unconverted  pocketbook. 
God's  universal  law  of  unselfish  service 
is  as  supreme  in  the  domain  of  material 
possessions — in  the  realm  of  that 
wealth  which  extends  a  man's  power 
^to  bring  things  to  pass' — as  it  is  in 
any  other  department  of  man's  possible 
efforts."  If  we  are  wholly  yielded  to 
the  Lord,  then  all  we  have  is  his,  and 


^it  15Mt  SDoctrfne  ot  SDtbotfon 

we  are  only  his  stewards.  The  truly; 
devout  man  of  God  will  not  simply  re- 
gard a  part  of  his  income  as  belonging 
to  the  Lord,  and  that  he  should  give 
liberally  of  it  to  his  cause,  but  he  will 
regard  the  obtaining  of  it  all  and  the 
proper  spending  and  retaining  portions 
of  it  in  accordance  with  the  divine  will. 
"When  we  give  ourselves  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  by  an  everlasting  covenant,  he 
admits  us  into  a  wonderfully  endearing 
copartnership,  a  sort  of  sacred  stoek 
company  or  firm  of  which  the  Father 
and  Son  are  senior  partners.  Into  this 
copartnership  Jesus  puts  all  he  is  and 
all  he  has,  and  we  put  in  all  we  have 
and  all  we  are,  the  combined  stock  to 
be  used  as  the  needs  of  the  firm  re- 
quire." Have  we  such  a  conception  of 
the  yielded  life?    Lord,  help  us! 

"When  I  went  into  the  ministry," 
says  Doctor  Schauffler,  "as  soon  as  I 
had  any  money  of  my  own  I  said,  ^O 
Lord,  one-tenth  shall  be  thine';  and  I 
thought  I  was  doing  all  I  ought  to  do 
when  I  said  that.    I  preached  that,  and 

70 


mt  mtm\}  jLitt 


have  practiced  that  all  my  life;  but, 
dear  me!  that  is  a  small  thing.  One- 
tenth  is  what  Jacob  gave,  and  are  we 
not  better  than  Jacob?  However,  I 
met  a  consecrated  Christian  woman 
once  in  New  York  and  asked  her  about 
this  matter  of  money.  She  said,  ^I  used 
to  give  one-tenth,  but  I  have  got  beyond 
that ;  and  now  I  ask  the  Lord,  for  every 
dollar  that  I  have.  Lord  what  shall  I 
do  with  that  dollar?'  I  dropped  my 
tenth  like  a  hot  iron  that  day,  and  I 
will  never  again  take  it  up.  Again, 
there  is  a  larger  liberty  than  that  of 
one-tenth,  and  that  is  the  liberty  of  all 
^od  calls  for.  Sometimes  he  will  call 
for  a  fifth.  Give  it.  Sometimes  he  will 
call  for  a  quarter.  Give  it.  Whatever 
he  calls  for,  give  it.  The  gold  and  the 
silver  are  not  mine;  they  are  his. 
When  he  who  is  the  owner  of  it  calls 
for  it,  give  it;  don't  hold  it.  Oh,  we 
need  a  change  of  view  on  this  matter  of 
money.  We  need  to  realize  honestly 
and  truly  that  it  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive." 

71 


Wbt  Bible  S>otttim  ot  S>tbotion 

"All  I  have  I  give  to  Jesus; 
It  belongs  to  him." 

OUR  BODIES. 

The  yielded  life  includes  a  yielded 
body.  Many  Christians  have  never  re- 
garded their  bodies  as  the  Lord's. 
They  have  been  very  religious  (?)  in 
spirit,  but  very  sinful  in  body.  Hear 
what  the  apostle  teaches:  "Know  ye 
not  that  your  body  is  a  temple  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  which  is  in  you,  which  ye 
have  from  God?  and  ye  are  not  your 
own ;  for  ye  were  bought  with  a  price ; 
glorify  God  therefore  in  your  body" 
(I.  Corinthians  6: 19,  20,  R.  V.).  Be- 
fore saying  this  he  said,  "Know  ye  not 
that  your  bodies  are  members  of 
Christ?"  (v.  15,  R.  V.).  "There  are 
two  things,"  says  Dr.  K,  T.  Pierson, 
"which  pertain  to  the  ownership  of  a 
bouse :  the  first  is  the  purchafimfj  of  it, 
and  the  second  is  the  inJiahifing  of  it. 
In  this  case,  the  owner  is  God,  and  he 
has  paid  his  price  for  the  house,  and 
then  he  moves  into  the  house,  and 
claims  it  as  the  occupant,  so  that  there 

72 


mt  gWtieti  %ite 


is  no  disputing  his  ownership.  The 
body  of  the  believer  is  the  house  of  God, 
for  he  purchased  the  believer's  body 
and  soul,  and  then  the  Holy  Ghost 
moved  in  and  took  possession.  And 
you  are  to  think,  not  of  your  soul, 
mind,  heart,  will,  and  conscience  only, 
as  God's  house,  but  of  your  body  as  his 
temple." 

The  beauty  and  force  of  the  Scrip- 
tures are  often  marred  by  the  breaks 
made  by  the  division  into  chapters. 
We  should  never  read  the  last  verses 
of  chapter  six  of  II.  Corinthians  with- 
out reading  the  first  verse  of  chapter 
seven.  "Come  ye  out  from  among 
them,  and  be  ye  separate,  saith  the 
Lord,  and  touch  no  unclean  thing;  and 
I  will  receive  you,  and  will  be  to  you 
a  Father,  and  ye  shall  be  to  me  sons 
and  daughters,  saith  the  Lord  Al- 
mighty. Having  therefore  these  prom- 
ises, beloved,  let  us  cleanse  ourselves 
from  all  defilement  of  flesh  and  spirit, 
perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God." 
Here  we  are  taught  to  cleanse  ourselves 

73 


%it  T5ihle  JDoctrfiu  ot  SDebotion 

from  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh,  and  yield 
a  clean,  pure  body  unto  the  Lord.  Mr. 
Moody  used  to  say,  "God  does  not  re- 
quire golden  vessels,  neither  does  he 
seek  for  silver  ones,  but  he  must  have 
clean  ones." 

The  temptations  of  the  flesh  are  nu- 
merous and  severe,  yet  if  we  consider 
ourselves  wholly  the  Lord's,  we  yield 
to  him  instead  of  the  tempter.  The  old 
colored  man  had  the  right  idea,  who, 
when  tempted,  always  said :  "O  Lord, 
I  'se  your  property,  and  the  debbel  is 
a-prowlin'  'round.  Lord,  take  care  ob 
your  own."  With  all,  it  is  not  the  easi- 
est thing  to  keep  the  flesh  in  subjection 
to  the  spirit.  Even  Paul  recognized 
that  it  took  some  effort.  He  said,  "I 
keep  under  my  body,  and  bring  it  into 
subjection"  (I.  Corinthians  9:27).  A" 
Sunday-school  teacher  was  talking 
about  this  verse  to  her  class  and  asked 
them  how  Saint  Paul  kept  his  body 
under.  One  bright  little  girl  answered, 
"Please,  teacher,  by  keeping  the  soul 
on  top."    If  you  would  keep  the  body 

74 


mt  giellieti  JLitt 


yielded  to  God,  or  held  in  subjection 
to  sin,  you  must  keep  the  soul  on  top. 
If  you  would  not  fulfill  the  lusts  of  the 
flesh,  you  must  walk  in  the  Spirit.  You 
must  live  in  constant  touch  with  the 
power  which  enables  you  to  live  the 
life  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  Kev.  Evan 
H.  Hopkins,  in  one  of  his  Keswick  ad- 
dresses, said :  "You  cannot  say  good-hy 
to  the  death  of  Christ.  No,  it  is  be- 
cause there  is  that  within  us  to  the 
last  which  makes  it  possible  for  us  to 
go  back  to  the  old  life,  that  it  is  neces- 
sary for  us  to  have  the  power  of  his 
death  perpetually  in  the  very  center  of 
our  being.  It  is  this  power  which  sets 
us  free  from  the  old  life." 

OUR   WILLS. 

The  will  is  supreme  in  man.  This  is 
the  throne,  and  possibly  the  most  diffi- 
cult to  yield  to  another.  Have  you 
learned  to  say  with  David,  "I  delight 
to  do  thy  will,  O  my  God"  (Psalm  40: 
8)  ?  If  so,  then  you  know  what  it  is  to 
give  up  your  plans  and  purposes  and 

75 


^HHt  Bible  Botttim  ot  SDebotion 

hopes  and  merge  them  all  into  the 
plans  and  purposes  of  God.  Fenelon 
has  rightly  said,  "Pure  religion  resides 
in  the  will  alone."  Many  have  unmis- 
takably thought  that  the  life  hid  with 
Christ  is  the  one  that  is  lived  in  the 
emotions.  Thus  many  people  have 
based  their  standing  in  God  on  their 
feelings.  A  careful  searching  of  the 
Scriptures  will  reveal  the  fact  that 
when  they  speak  of  the  "heart"  they 
do  not  refer  so  much  to  the  seat  of  the 
emotions  as  the  will^  the  throne,  the 
center  of  the  man.  "The  will,"  says 
Hannah  Smith,  "is  the  governing  power 
in  man's  nature ;  if  the  will  is  set  right, 
all  the  rest  of  the  nature  must  come 
into  harmony.  By  the  will  I  do  not 
mean  the  wish  of  the  man,  or  even  his 
purpose,  but  the  deliberate  choice,  the 
deciding  power,  the  king,  to  which  all 
that  is  in  the  man  must  yield  obedi- 
ence.'' In  another  chapter  we  have 
called  attention  to  the  devotion  of 
Jesus  to  the  will  of  the  Father.  Our 
wills  must  be  yielded  to  Christ  as  his 

76 


mt  gfelneti  Jiitt 


was  to  the  Father.  "  ^Have  this  mind 
in  you  which  was  in  Christ  Jesus/  and 
then  you  can  do  whatever  you  are  a 
mind  to." 

The  Old  Testament  is  full  of  striking 
illustrations  of  the  thought  of  absolute 
surrender.  In  I.  Kings  20 : 1-4,  we 
read,  "And  Ben-hadad  the  king  of  Syria 
gathered  all  his  host  together:  and 
there  were  thirty  and  two  kings  with 
him,  and  horses,  and  chariots:  and  he 
went  up  and  besieged  Samaria,  and 
warred  against  it.  And  he  sent  mes- 
sengers to  Ahab  king  of  Israel  into  the 
city,  and  said  unto  him,  Thus  saith 
Ben-hadad,  Thy  silver  and  thy  gold  is 
mine ;  thy  wives  also  and  thy  children, 
even  the  goodliest,  are  mine.  And  the 
king  of  Israel  answered  and  said.  My 
lord,  O  king,  according  to  thy  saying, 
I  am  thine,  and  all  that  I  have."  God 
asks  of  us  an  absolute  surrender.  Can 
we  reply  as  Ahab  did  to  his  superior? 
Joshua's  surrender  to  the  man  with 
the  drawn  sword  is  another  example 
for  us. 


^fie  Mhlt  SDocttine  ot  SDebotton 

Doubtless  many  feel  led  to  yield  their 
wills  to  God,  yet  they  dread  to  abandon 
their  wills  entirely,  for  fear  that  God 
may  make  them  do  something  disagree- 
able. God  is  not  less  considerate  of 
his  children  than  an  earthly  parent  is 
of  his  own,  and  what  father  would  con- 
spire to  make  his  child  do  all  the  dis- 
agreeable things  he  could  think  of  be- 
cause the  child  had  promised  to  do 
whatever  the  parent  willed?  God,  in- 
asking  that  our  wills  be  yielded  to  him, 
could  have  no  evil  design.  If  we  would 
but  believe  we  might  know  he  asks  it 
for  our  good  and  happiness.  Dr.  J. 
Wilbur  Chapman  illustrates  this  point 
with  this  touching  story.  He  says: 
"God  asks  only  for  our  wills,  and  he  is 
a  happy  man  who  reaches  the  place 
where  he  holds  back  nothing  from 
God.  A  celebrated  bishop  of  the 
Church  of  England  had  made  a  com- 
plete sacrifice  of  everything  in  his  life 
except  his  affection  for  his  wife.  She 
was  an  invalid,  and  he  felt  that  he 
could  not  yield  her  up,  she  had  been  so 

78 


%iz  giellteti  JLitz 


long  upon  his  heart.  Both  husband 
and  wife  were  passing  through  the 
severest  spiritual  struggle,  and  one  day 
the  good  bishop  reached  the  place 
where  he  said  that  he  could  give  up  his 
wife  to  Christ.  With  tear- wet  cheek  he 
came  into  her  room  to  tell  her  that  he 
had  gained  the  victory  only  to  be  met 
with  the  response  that  she,  too,  had 
crossed  the  line  and  had  yielded  every- 
thing to  Christ.  During  the  night  she 
died,  after  her  lingering  illness;  and, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  and  yet  not 
strange,  when  they  rapped  at  the  door 
of  the  bishop,  his  heart,  too,  had  ceased 
to  beat,  and  he,  too,  stood  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God.  God  only  wanted  their 
wills ;  and,  when  they  had  been  yielded 
to  him,  he  would  not  allow  them  to  be 
separated  even  for  a  minute  of  time, 
and  he  bound  them  together  for  an  un- 
ending eternity.'' 

A  beautiful  story  is  told  of  two  great 
generals  in  the  American  Civil  War. 
During  General  Sherman's  last  cam- 
paign in  the  South,  certain  changes  in 

79 


%it  "Bihlt  aPocttfiu  ot  SDebotfott 

commanders  were  made.  General 
Howard  was  placed  at  the  head  of  a 
certain  division.  Soon  after  this  the 
war  closed,  and  there  was  to  be  a  grand 
review  of  the  army  at  Washington. 
The  night  before  the  review,  Sherman 
sent  for  Howard  and  said,  "The  polit- 
ical friends  of  the  officer  yon  succeeded 
are  determined  that  he  shall  ride  at  the 
head  of  the  corps,  and  I  want  you  to 
help  me  out." 

"It  is  my  command,''  said  Howard, 
"and  I  am  entitled  to  ride  at  its  head." 

"Of  course  you  are,"  replied  Sher- 
man. "You  led  the  men  through 
Georgia  and  the  Carolinas;  but,  How- 
ard, you  are  a  Christian,  and  can  stand 
the  disappointment." 

"If  you  put  it  on  that  ground,"  said 
Howard,  "there  is  but  one  answer :  Let 
him  ride  at  the  head  of  the  corps." 

"Yes,  let  him  have  the  honor,"  said 
Sherman,  "but  you  will  report  to  me 
at  nine  o'clock  and  will  ride  by  my  side 
at  the  head  of  the  army." 

Howard  protested,  but  the  command- 
so 


U6e  ffitldeti  JLitt 


er's  orders  were  positive.  So,  that  day, 
in  the  grand  review,  the  man  who  had 
yielded  his  rights  had  a  place  of  higher 
honor  at  the  head  of  the  whole  army. 
So  will  it  be  with  every  child  of  God 
who  will  yield  absolutely  his  life  to 
Christ.  Let  every  Christian  sincerely 
say: 

"Laid  on  thine  altar,  O  my  Lord  divine, 

Accept  this  gift  to-day,  for  Jesus'  sake. 
I  have  no  jewels  to  adorn  thy  shrine, 

Nor  any  world-famed  sacrifice  to  make ; 
But  here  I  bring  within  my  trembling  hand 

This  icill  of  mine,  a  thing  that  seemeth  small, 
And  thou  alone,  O  Lord,  canst  understand 

How,  when  I  yield  thee  this,  I  yield  my  all. 

*'Take  it,  O  Father,  ere  my  courage  fail. 

And  merge  it  so  in  thine  own  will,  that,  e'en 
If  in  some  desperate  hour  my  cries  prevail, 

And  thou  give  back  my  gift,  it  may  have  been 
So  changed,  so  purified,  so  fair  have  grown,^ 

So  one  with  thee,  so  filled  with  peace  divine, 
I  may  not  know  or  feel  it  as  my  own. 

But,  gaining  back  my  will,  may  find  it  thine.*' 


81 


^erijice  for  <15ot> 


"Think  not  if  thou  art  not  called 
To  work  in  mission  fields 
Of  some  far  distant  clime, 
That  thine  is  no  grand  mission. 
Every  deed  that  comes  to  thee, 
In  God's  appointed  time, 
Is  just  the  greatest  deed  that  thine  can  be, 
Since  God's  high  will  appointed  it  to  thee.* 

"No  service  in  itself  is  small, 
Nor  great,  though  earth  it  fill ; 
But  that  is  small  which  seeks  its  own 
And  great  which  seeks  God's  will." 


84 


&erbice  tot  (Bod 


V 
©ettoice  for  (SJoD 

**So  live,  so  act  that  every  hour 
May  die  as  dies  the  natural  flower; 
That  every  word  and  every  deed 
May  bear  within  itself  the  seed 
Of  future  good  in  future  need." 

Every  devout  life  should  be  lived  for 
'^the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of 
men."  Our  blessed  Savior,  who  lived 
a  life  of  unvarying  devotion  to  the  Fa- 
ther, said,  "As  thou  hast  sent  me  into 
the  world,  even  so  have  I  also  sent  them 
into  the  world"  (John  17:18).  His 
devotion  to  the  Father  consisted  in  his 
devotion  to  the  work  which  the  Father 
sent  him  to  do.  Our  devotion  to  Jesus 
will  be  measured  by  our  devotion  to 
the  work  which  he  has  given  us  to  ac- 
complish. In  this  respect,  the  Father 
expected  from  the  Son  no  greater  faith- 
fulness than  the  Son  expects  from  us. 
If  we  earnestly  desire  to  follow  the  ex- 

85 


%^t  Mbit  SDoctriiu  of  SDetJotion 

ample  and  teaching  of  the  Master,  then 
we  shall  be  anxious  to  render  faithful 
service  in  his  name.  Let  no  one  be 
discouraged  because  he  cannot  render 
some  great  service,  for  faithfulness 
does  not  consist  in  doing  great  things. 
The  humble  child  of  God  who  gives  a 
cup  of  cold  water  in  his  name  may  be 
doing  just  as  faithful  service  as  he  who 
preaches  a  sermon  or  leads  a  soul  to 
Christ.  Some  one  has  said  that  be- 
tween the  great  things  we  cannot  do 
and  the  little  things  we  will  not  do,  the 
likelihood  is  that  we  shall  not  do  any- 
thing. 

The  faithful  child  of  God,  who  is 
seeking  light  from  the  Scriptures  as  to 
the  devotional  life,  cannot  help  but 
realize  that  in  order  to  maintain  a 
truly  devotional  spirit  he  must  give 
himself  to  service.  We  dare  not  open 
our  natures  Godward  and  then  keep 
tHem^  closed  man  ward.  We  cannot 
truly  stretch  out  our  one  hand  toward 
God  if  we  do  not  stretch  out  the  other 
toward  our  fellow-man.    If  we  want  to 

86 


&ttbitt  tot  dSoti 


fully  enjoy  that  which  we  receive  from 
God,  and  be  enriched  by  it,  we  must 
pass  it  on  to  others  for  their  enjoyment 
and  the  enriching  of  their  lives.  Our 
attention  has  been  called  to  the  same 
thought  when  we  think  of  the  Sea  of 
Galilee  and  the  Dead  Sea.  The  beau- 
tiful Sea  of  Galilee,  nestling  among 
the  hills,  is  attractive  and  filled  with, 
and  surrounded  by  life,  because  it  has 
a  hand  with  which  it  pours  out  the 
Jordan  for  the  enriching  of  the  coun- 
try below,  as  well  as  a  hand  with  which 
it  receives  the  Jordan  from  above. 
How  different  the  Dead  Sea!  No  life 
in  it.  No  life  about  it.  Why?  Be- 
cause it  has  a  hand  with  which  it  re- 
ceives the  Jordan,  but  no  hand  to  give 
it  out.  Did  not  Jesus  teach  that  he 
who  would  save  his  life  must  be  willing 
to  lose  it?  "He  that  loseth  his  life  for 
my  sake  shall  find  it"  (Matthew  10: 
39). 

We  may  ask,  What  is  service?  In  a 
word  it  has  been  answered :  "It  is  put- 
ting Christianity  to  work.    It  is  'doing 

87 


%it  3iblt  SDottrine  ot  SDebotfon 

good'  to  our  fellow-man  in  our  Ke- 
deemer's  name  and  for  his  sake.''  In 
his  "Studies  for  Personal  Workers," 
Howard  Agnew  Johnston  says:  "The 
man  who  takes  Christ  for  his  Savior 
must  also  take  Christ  for  his  Master, 
to  make  Christ's  purpose  his  purpose. 
But  Christ's  purpose  is  to  serve.  It 
w^as  the  law  of  his  life  on  earth,  and 
continues  to  be  in  heaven.  He  'came 
not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  min- 
ister, and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for 
many'  (Mark  10:45).  Every  man  re- 
deemed by  Christ  from  the  slavery  of 
sin  belongs  in  very  truth  to  Christ. 
His  one  aim  should  be  to  do  all  in  his 
power  toward  paying  the  great  debt 
he  owes  to  Christ.  But  this  means  to 
serve  Christ  in  Christ's  way,  and  he 
has  made  that  way  plain.  We  serve 
him  by  denying  self,  as  he  did,  and  by 
seeking  to  save  others,  as  he  did.  But 
with  the  true  Christian  this  is  not  done 
simply  from  a  sense  of  obligation.  He 
has  caught  a  vision  of  Christ's  wonder- 
ful love,  which  explains  Calvary,  and 

88 


&ttbitt  tot  (Bod 


he  has  learned  to  love  the  Christ-life 
above  every  other.  Hence  for  him  sal- 
vation does  not  simply  mean  service, 
for  life  meant  some  kind  of  service  be- 
fore. Salvation  now  means  the  loving 
service  of  Christ." 

How  many  there  are  who  have  wrong 
conceptions  of  religious  duty.  They 
think  that  serving  God  consists  in  go- 
ing to  church  once  or  twice  on  the  Sab- 
bath day  and  giving  an  occasional  sum 
to  religious  purposes.  Is  this  service? 
Is  this  all  for  which  God  gives  the  Holy 
Spirit?  This,  man  can  do  without  the 
Spirit.  The  Spirit  is  given  to  enable 
him  to  do  the  otherwise  impossible. 
This  is  the  service  to  which  the  Master 
calls ;  can  we  afford  to  be  satisfied  with 
less? 

Many  have  excused  themselves  from 
definite  service  in  the  opinion  that  it 
was  to  be  done  by  those  to  whom 
was  imparted  special  gifts.  "And  he 
gave  some  to  be  apostles;  and  some, 
prophets;  and  some,  evangelists;  and 
some,  pastors  and  teachers ;  for  the  per- 

89 


Tlit  JSiblt  SDocttine  ot  SDtbotion 

fecting  of  the  saints,  unto  the  work  of 
ministering,  unto  the  building  up  of 
the  body  of  Christ"  ( Ephesians  4 :  11, 
12,  R.  v.).  True,  he  has  chosen  some 
to  be  apostles  and  prophets  and  evan- 
gelists and  pastors  and  teachers,  not  to 
do  all  the  work  of  serving  or  minister- 
ing, but  to  teach  or  perfect  the  saints 
for  the  work  of  ministering.  Therefore 
every  saint — for  every  child  of  God  is 
so  recognized  in  the  Scriptures — is  to 
be  a  servant,  ministering  to  others  in 
the  building  up  of  the  body  of  Christ, 
the  church. 

Our  Master,  whom  we  serve,  has 
said:  "Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world. 
.  .  .  Even  so  let  your  light  shine 
before  men,  that  they  may  see  your 
good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven"  (Matthew  5:14- 
16,  R.  v.).  God  has  wonderfully  ex- 
alted our  service,  in  that  he  has  dig- 
nified our  good  works.  Not  only  are 
they  to  be  a  joy  and  blessing  to  our 
lives,  but,  seen  by  others,  they  shall  be 
the  instrument  leading  to  their  conver- 

90 


feetbice  for  (Boti 


sion  and  their  glorifying  our  Father  in 
heaven.  Every  child  of  God  should  see 
the  tremendous  importance  Christ  has 
attached  to  our  light-shining  service. 
*'As  needful  as  that  the  sun  shine 
every  day,  yea,  more  so,  is  it  that  every 
believer  let  his  light  shine  before  men. 
For  this  we  have  been  created  anew  in 
Christ,  to  hold  forth  the  Word  of  Life, 
as  lights  in  the  world.  Christ  needs 
you  to  let  his  light  shine  through  you. 
Perishing  men  around  you  need  your 
light,  if  they  are  to  find  their  way  to 
God.  God  needs  you  to  let  his  glory 
be  seen  through  you.  As  wholly  as  a 
lamp  is  given  up  to  lighting  a  room, 
every  believer  ought  to  give  himself  up 
to  be  the  light  of  a  dark  w^orld.'^ 

Dear  reader,  have  you  ever  read  the 
Scriptures  carefully  with  a  view  of  as- 
certaining the  true  mission  of  your 
life?  It  is  not  merely  to  enjoy  the 
blessings  of  religion  or  preparing  to 
reach  heaven;  these  are  secondary. 
The  primary  mission,  that  for  which 
we  have  been  created  in  Christ  Jesus, 

91 


^fie  3iblt  SDocttine  of  SDebotion 

is  service,  "We  are  his  workmanship, 
created  in  Christ  Jesus  for  good  works, 
which  God  afore  prepared  that  we 
should  walk  in  them"  (Ephesians  2: 
10,  R.  V. ) .  God  has  a  plan  for  the  life 
of  every  one  of  his  children.  He  has 
prepared  the  plan.  He  has  prepared 
the  works,  and  he  also  has  created  the 
worker  for  carrying  on  his  work.  Dare 
any  child  deny  him  the  service  which 
he  justly  claims  at  his  hand? 

We  are  taught  by  the  apostle  Paul 
that  our  service  for  the  Lord  is  to  be 
abounding,  ^^ Wherefore,  my  beloved 
brethren,  be  ye  stedfast,  immoveable, 
always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord,  forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  your 
labour  is  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord"  (I. 
Corinthians  15:  58).  God  is  not  satis- 
fied with  spasmodic  or  occasional  serv- 
ice. Sometimes  we  find  those  whose 
service  partakes  of  this  nature.  They 
appear  wonderfully  active  during  a  re- 
vival season,  but  as  soon  as  the  revival 
is  over  they  sink  back  into  inactivity. 
Some  one  likens  them  to  bits  of  paper 

92 


fbttbitt  tot  (Boti 


along  a  railroad  track  which  are  picked 
up  and  carried  along  for  a  short  while 
by  the  air  put  in  motion  by  a  passing 
train,  but  after  a  while  settle  down  to 
the  same  quietness  which  characterized 
them  before  the  train  put  them  in  mo- 
tion, waiting  for  another  passing  train. 
Paul  says,  we  are  always  to  abound  in 
the  work  of  the  Lord.  What  shall  this 
work  be?  Read  the  preceding  verses 
of  the  chapter.  It  is  telling  to  others 
of  the  risen  Lord  and  proving  the  same 
bv  living  before  them  the  resurrected 
life. 

Our  Heavenly  Father  is  not  satisfied 
with  half-hearted  service.  We  are  to 
be  enthusiastic — God  in  us.  He  wants 
a  people  full  of  zeal  in  service.  "Who 
gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  re- 
deem us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify 
unto  himself  a  people  for  his  own  pos- 
session, zealous  of  good  works'^  (Titus 
2 :  14,  R.  V. ) .  A  proper  appreciation 
of  our  redemption  and  purification 
should  set  us  on  fire  for  God.  If  we 
would  be  zealous  in  our  Master's  serv- 
os 


%it  3ihlt  SDocttine  ot  SDtbotion 

ice,  three  things  must  inspire  us: 
First,  a  realization  of  the  urgent  and 
vast  need  of  service;  second,  we  must 
take  great  delight  in  it ;  and,  third,  the 
love  of  Christ  must  constrain  us.  The 
child  of  God  who  is  constrained  by  the 
love  of  Christ,  and  sees  the  vast  need  of 
the  world,  and  then  takes  great  delight 
in  doing  his  part  will  not  need  to  be 
urged  to  greater  zeal  in  the  Master's 
cause.    Then  service  will  be  a  pleasure. 

In  closing  this  chapter  on  the  doc- 
trine of  the  devotion  of  service,  let  me 
call  attention  to  two  great  phases  of 
service — that  of  personal  work  and 
Christian  missions. 

Men  may  talk  all  they  please  of  So- 
cial righteousness  and  great  social  re- 
forms, yet  social  righteousness  can 
only  be  brought  about  by  personal 
righteousness.  Only  to  the  extent  that 
the  hearts  of  individuals  are  regener- 
ated will  society  be  improved.  Christ 
dealt  not  with  the  masses  and  great 
reform  movements,  but  with  individ- 
uals.   Our  witnessing  for  Christ  must 

04 


&ctbitt  tot  (Boti 


be  a  personal  witness.  "Scripture  is 
full  of  examples  of  those  who  told  to 
others  what  the  Lord  had  done  for 
them,  and  who  thus  became  a  blessing 
to  them."  Parents,  the  blessing  of  win- 
ning your  children  to  Christ  should  be 
yours;  do  not  transfer  it  to  some  one 
else.  Backed  by  your  godly  life  it 
should  be  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world 
to  speak  the  loving  personal  word  that 
should  win  the  heart  of  your  child  to 
your  Lord  and  Master. 

Do  not  men  in  their  intercourse  with 
men  often  speak  about  every  subject 
except  that  of  their  souPs  salvation? 
"Some  years  ago,  a  well-known  Chris- 
tian was  stopped  on  the  street  by  a 
friend  with  the  question,  *Mr.  R.,  how 
long  have  we  known  each  other?' 
'About  fifteen  years,'  was  the  reply. 
'You  claim  to  be  a  Christian.'  'Yes.* 
'Well,  do  you  believe  I  must  accept 
Jesus  Christ  if  I  am  saved?'  'I  do.' 
'And  do  you  care  whether  or  not  I  am 
saved?'  'Why,  certainly!'  'Pardon 
me,  I  do  not  wish  to  hurt  you,  but  I 

95 


<2E8e  3ihlt  SDoctritu  ot  SDtbotion 

do  not  believe  it.  Through  these  years 
we  have  discussed  all  sorts  of  topics, 
yet  you  have  never  uttered  one  word  to 
indicate  to  me  that  you  cared  about 
my  soul.  If  you  had  cared,  you  surely 
would  have  spoken.' " 

Perhaps  some  one  who  will  read 
these  pages  will  desire  to  lead  a  life  of 
devoted  service  to  the  Master,  especial- 
ly in  the  work  of  personally  leading 
souls  to  him.  To  such  we  most  heartily 
recommend  several  little  books  which 
have  greatly  blessed  the  writer :  "Indi- 
vidual Work  for  Individuals,"  Trum- 
bull ;  "Studies  for  Personal  Workers,'' 
Johnston;  "Personal  Work,"  Sayford; 
"How  to  Bring  Men  to  Christ,"  Torrey. 

Every  devoted  follower  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  a  friend  and  promoter  of 
Christian  missions.  He  cannot  be  oth- 
erwise, since  his  Master  gave  as  his 
parting  command,  "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature"  (Mark  16:15).  The  work 
of  Christian  missions  should  be  the 
principal  aim  of  the  church  on  earth. 

96 


&nWt  tot  (Boti 


To  the  church,  composed  of  individual 
Christians,  has  been  committed  the  gos- 
pel— good  news.  We  are  under  obliga- 
tion both  to  God  and  the  heathen  world 
to  faithfully  discharge  the  trust  com- 
mitted to  us.  If  a  person  had  left  to 
his  executor  a  large  sum  of  money  to 
be  transferred  to  his  children,  and  he 
w^ere  as  recreant  to  the  trust  as  the 
church  has  been  to  the  heathen,  he 
would  be  dealt  with  by  the  law. 

We  rejoice  to  note  that  there  is 
bright  promise  of  more  devotion  to  the 
will  of  the  Master  in  missionary  serv- 
ice. This  is  being  manifested  to-day 
in  what  is  known  as  "living-link 
churches."  Churches  are  adopting  the 
method  of  supporting  their  own  mis- 
sionary. The  reflex  influence  of  such 
undertaking  is  felt  in  great  blessing  by 
the  church  at  home.  In  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church  nearly  four-fifths  of  their 
missionaries  are  supported  either  by 
local  churches,  societies,  or  individuals. 
Robert  E.  Speer,  a  secretary  of  their 
Missionary  Board,  says :   "The  support 

7  97 


^it  3ibU  SDocttfiu  ot  SDtbotion 

of  a  missionary  by  a  church  has  proven, 
we  think,  on  each  side  to  be  a  great  ad- 
vantage. The  church  gives  a  great  deal 
more,  and  the  missionary  has  the  sense 
of  a  prayerful  and  affectionate  interest 
which  otherwise  he  might  lack.'' 

An  increasing  number  of  the 
churches  in  the  United  Brethren  de- 
nomination are  supporting  their  own 
missionary,  independently  of  the  gen- 
eral cause  of  missions.  Rev.  W.  M. 
Bell,  D.  D.,  the  general  Missionary 
Secretary,  says,  *^Many  congregations 
are  already  rejoicing  in  the  larger  life 
that  has  come  to  them  since  specific 
missionary  work  has  been  undertaken." 

Let  every  devoted  servant  of  the  Mas- 
ter hear  the  last  published  words  of 
Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon:  "If  we  could  only 
come  to  this,  that  each  church  would 
take  up  missionary  work  directly,  mak- 
ing the  board  its  commission  house  for 
the  transaction  of  its  business,  its 
banking  house  for  the  transmitting  of 
funds,  and  its  Bible  and  publishing 
house   for   supplying   literature,   who 

98 


Settiice  tot  (BoH 


doubts  that  we  might  do  vastly  more 
than  we  are  now  doing?  Let  us  be 
afraid  of  lost  missionary  opportuni- 
ties. The  church  which  is  not  a  mis- 
sionary church  will  be  a  missing  church 
during  the  next  fifty  years.  As  minis- 
ters and  churches  of  Jesus  Christ,  our 
self-preservation  is  conditioned  on  our 
obedience  to  the  great  commission. 
Now  it  is  preach  or  perish,  evangelize 
or  fossilize.  Be  a  saving  church  with 
girded  loins  and  burning  lamp,  carry- 
ing a  lost  world  on  the  heart  day  and 
night,  or  be  a  secularized  church,  lying 
on  the  heart  of  this  present  evil  worlds 
and  allow  it  to  gird  you  and  carry  you 
whithersoever  it  will.  Which  shall 
it  be?" 


99 


Clje 
Mtsstti  i^ope;  or,  Deljo-^ 
tion  to  €)ur  Coming  3LorU 


'They  tell  me  a  solemn  story, 

But  it  is  not  sad  to  me, 
For  in  its  sweet  enfoldings 

The  Savior's  love  I  see ; 
They  say  that  at  any  moment 

Upon  mine  ear  may  fall 
The  summons  to  leave  our  homestead, 

To  answer  the  Master's  call. 

'They  say  I  may  have  no  warning ; 

I  may  not  even  hear 
The  rustling  of  his  garments 

As  he  softly  draweth  near; 
Suddenly,  and  in  a  moment, 

The  Lord  of  life  may  come 
To  lift  me  up  from  this  cloud-land 

Into  the  light  of  home.'* 


102 


%it  IBIe^jS^eti  l^ope 


VI 

HCbz  T5le00eD  l^ope;  or,  Demotion 
to  ©ur  Coming  ILorD 

"Oh,  the  long,  long  night  is  passing, 
And  there  cometh  the  golden  day ; 
I  come  to  my  own  who  love  me, 
To  take  them  all  away." 

One  of  the  most  precious  doctrines 
in  the  Word  of  God,  one  which  if  prop- 
erly understood  would  be  the  greatest 
incentive  to  devotion,  has  been  greatly 
neglected  because  unscrupulous  teach- 
ers have  brought  it  into  disrepute  by 
fixing  dates  for  our  Lord's  return.  In 
any  attempt  at  fixing  definite  dates, 
we  are  prying  into  the  secret  things 
which  belong  to  God  alone.  Jesus  ex- 
pressly said,  "But  of  that  day  or  that 
hour  knoweth  no  one,  not  even  the 
an2:els  in  heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but 
the  Father"  (Mark  13:32,  R.  V.). 

That  he  shall  come,  no  sincere  stu- 

103 


Wbt  T5iblt  SDocttitu  ot  SDebotion 

dent  of  the  Word  can  question.  When 
he  ascended  from  Olivet's  brow,  two 
heavenly  messengers  said  to  his  dis- 
ciples, "Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand 
ye  looking  into  heaven?  this  Jesus, 
which  was  received  up  from  you  into 
heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like  manner 
as  ye  beheld  him  going  into  heaven^^ 
(Acts  1:11,  R.  v.).  But  can  we  be- 
lieve these  messengers?  Let  us  see.  It 
was  an  angel  that  announced  to  Zach- 
arias  while  he  burned  incense  in  the 
temple,  that  his  wife  Elizabeth  should 
bear  a  son.  (Luke  1 :  5-13. )  It  was  an 
angel  that  made  known  unto  Mary  that 
she  should  bear  a  child  and  that  his 
name  should  be  called  Jesus.  (Luke 
1:26-35.)  It  was  an  angel  that  an- 
nounced to  the  shepherds  on  the  hills 
of  Bethlehem,  that  there  was  born  in 
the  city  of  David  a  Savior,  which  is 
Christ  the  Lord.  ( Luke  2 :  8-16. )  Two 
angels  spoke  to  Mary  Magdalene  that 
first  Easter  morning  at  the  empty  sep- 
ulcher  and  said,  He  is  not  here,  for 
he  is  risen,  as  he  said.     Come,  see  the 

104 


^^t  SU00eti  l^opr 


place  where  the  Lord  lay.  (Matthew 
28:1-6.) 

If  the  angels  who  spoke  to  Zaeharias 
and  Mrty  and  the  shepherds  and  Mary 
Magdalene  spoke  the  truth,  dare  we 
doubt  the  heavenly  messengers  who 
spoke  to  the  disciples  on  the  Mount  of 
Olives?  Neither  dare  we  doubt  the 
words  of  Jesus  himself  (John  14 : 1-3)  ; 
nor  the  apostles. 

There  are  three  great  comings  fore- 
told in  the  Word  of  God :  First,  Christ 
as  the  Savior  of  mankind ;  second,  the 
descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  third, 
the  return  of  our  Lord.  Two  of  these 
have  already  been  fulfilled.  What  rea- 
sonable interpretation  of  Scripture 
will  tolerate  our  saying  that  two  of 
these  shall  be  literally  fulfilled,  and 
the  other,  because  it  has  not  yet  come 
to  pass,  must  therefore  be  spiritual? 
There  are  only  two  hundred  and  sixty 
chapters  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
the  return  of  our  Lord  is  mentioned, 
either  directly  or  indirectly,  three  hun- 
dred times.    The  church  to-day  makes 

105 


%it  3ihlt  SDocttiiu  0t  SDttJOtion 

much  over  the  subject  of  baptism,  and 
yet  Paul,  in  his  epistles,  mentions  it 
thirteen  times  and  speaks  of  our 
Lord's  coming  over  fifty  times. 

The  greatest  fact  in  history  is  that 
Christ  was  on  earth;  the  greatest  fact 
of  the  present  is  that  Christ  is  in 
heaven  interceding  at  the  right  hand 
of  the  Father ;  the  greatest  event  of  the 
future  will  be  Christ's  second  coming. 
Consider  Christ's  three  appearings  as 
mentioned  in  the  closing  part  of  the 
ninth  chapter  of  Hebrews,  "but  now 
once  in  the  end  of  the  age  hath  he 
appeared  to  put  away  sin  by  the  sacri- 
fice of  himself."  "For  Christ  is  not 
entered  into  the  holy  places  made  with 
hands,  .  .  .  but  into  heaven  itself, 
now  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God 
for  us."  "And  unto  them  that  look  for 
him  shall  he  appear  the  second  time 
without  sin  unto  salvation." 

When  we  meet  at  the  table  of  the 
Lord  to  partake  of  the  elements  of 
Christ's  broken  body  and  shed  blood 
we  are  instructed  to  look  both  dacJc- 

106 


^5t  3\t00tt^  l^ope 


ward  to  the  cross  and  forward  to  his 
coming.  (I.  Corinthians  11:25,  26.) 
The  church  to-day  needs  to  look  more 
to  Christ^s  coming,  but  not  less  to  the 
cross.  We  should  never  get  away  from 
Calvary,  save  as  the  building  grows 
from  the  foundation — "never  resting 
as  heavily  upon  it  as  when  farthest 
from  it."  In  an  address  delivered  at 
Northfield,  Robert  E.  Speer  said:  "I 
believe  we  need  the  hope  of  Christ's 
coming  to  fortify  our  faith  in  the  super- 
natural, which  cannot  be  kept  alive  by 
any  belief  in  supernatural  occurrences 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago.  We  need 
it  to  vivify  and  keep  quick  and  active 
our  present  Christian  faith.  It  is  so 
easy  for  Christian  faith  to  die  away 
into  what  is  purely  mental,  what  is  me- 
chanical, what  is  external.  Men  love 
to  have  to  do  with  a  Christ  of  ancient 
history,  and  they  do  not  like  to  have 
to  do  with  a  Christ  of  present  life  and 
a  Christ  of  coming  judgment.  People 
would  rather  have  Christ  wandering 
up  and  down  through  Palestine  eigh- 

107 


^^t  3itlt  SDocttfn^  o(  SDetJDttott 

teen  centuries  past  than  testing  their 
present-day  lives  by  the  standard  of 
his  own,  or  standing  over  them  as  the 
judge  already  waiting  at  the  door.  The 
element  of  expectation  is  essential  to 
life.  We  cannot  retain  pure  and  fresh 
and  quick  our  faith  in  the  Christ  who 
died  and  rose  again  unless  we  believe 
also  in  the  Christ  who  is  reigning  now 
and  who  is  again  to  come." 

Again  and  again  the  Scriptures  refer 
to  our  Lord's  coming  as  a  blessed  hope, 
"Faith  looks  upward,  hope  looks  on- 
ward." Oftentimes  the  soul  is  in  the 
throes  of  despair,  and  it  is  some  blessed 
hope  that  gives  courage  and  deliver- 
ance. More  than  fifty  times  when  hope 
is  referred  to  in  the  Divine  Word  it 
has  distinct  relation  to  blessings  of  the 
future  which  are  to  crown  the  believer 
at  the  glorious  appearing  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

We  might  consider  a  few  of  these 
with  great  encouragement  and  inspira- 
tion to  the  devotional  life: 


108 


Wbt  ©It^^eti  l^ope 


A   BLESSED    HOPE. 

Paul,  writing  to  Titus,  calls  atten- 
tion to  the  epiphany  of  grace,  and  after 
giving  rules  for  holy  living  calls  atten- 
tion to  the  epiphany  of  glory.  (Titus 
2:11-13.)  We  miss  one  of  the  best 
parts  of  this  scripture  if  we  stop  at  the 
end  of  verse  twelve,  as  we  fear  many 
do.  "We  are  not  only  taught  to  live 
righteously,  but  to  live  looking/^  This 
blessed  hope  refers  to  a  happy  inward 
enjoyment  entirely  apart  from  exter- 
nal environment.  To  the  believer  who 
has  such  an  unfailing,  joyful  anticipa- 
tion within,  the  outward  circumstances 
of  trial  are  regarded  as  "not  worthy 
to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which 
shall  be  revealed  to  usward.  For  the 
earnest  expectation  of  the  creation 
waiteth  for  the  revealing  of  the  sons  of 
God"  (Romans  8: 18,  19,  R.  V.). 

A   COMFORTING    HOPE. 

The  ruthlessly  severing  of  earthly 
ties  by  the  hand  of  death  has  often 
plunged  many  a  believing  child  of  God 

109 


into  great  sorrow.  The  thought  of  a 
long  separation  from  those  we  love  has 
caused  the  cup  of  many  a  life  to  over- 
flow with  grief. 

"The  blight  of  hope  and  happiness 

Is  felt  when  fond  ones  part, 

And  the  bitter  tear  that  flows  is 

The  life-blood  of  the  heart." 

To  such  this  hope  comes  with  cheer 
and  comfort.  Sorrowing  ones,  read 
and  reread  the  apostle's  words  written 
to  those  who  were  akin  to  you  in  grief. 
( I.  Thessalonians  4 :  13-17. )  That  they 
might  mutually  cheer  each  other,  he 
adds  this  verse,  "Wherefore  comfort 
one  another  with  these  words"  (I. 
Thessalonians  4:18).  Sorrowing  one, 
in  Christ,  has  thy  darling  babe  been 
kissed  out  of  thy  sight,  leaving  your 
heart  empty  and  sad?  Or  is  it  a 
mother,  whose  ever-gentle  touch  and 
loving  words  are  so  greatly  missed?  Or 
is  it  a  companion,  whose  life  was  knit 
with  yours, 

And  rather  than  say  good-by 
You  would  yourself  have  died. 

110 


^Iie  J5lt00tti  Iftope 


Look  up,  sad  one,  for  perhaps  this 
shall  be  the  day  when  he  shall  come 
and  those  "you  've  lost  awhile,"  you 
soon  shall  meet. 

A   GLORIOUS  HOPE. 

Our  bodies  of  humiliation  and  suffer- 
ing at  His  coming  are  to  be  made  con- 
formable unto  the  body  of  his  glory. 
*^For  our  citizenship  is  in  heaven ;  from 
whence  also  we  wait  for  a  Saviour,  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ:  who  shall  fashion 
anew  the  body  of  our  humiliation,  that 
it  may  be  conformed  to  the  body  of  his 
glory,  according  to  the  working  where- 
by he  is  able  even  to  subject  all  things 
unto  himself"  (Philippians  3:20,  21, 
E.  v.).  Suddenly  this  mortal,  now 
groaning  in  the  flesh,  shall  put  on  im- 
mortality. Paul  says,  "We  shall  not 
all  sleep  [die],  but  we  shall  all  be 
changed,  in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  at  the  last  trump;  for  the 
trumpet  shall  sound,  .  .  .  and  we 
shall  be  changed"  (T.  Corinthians  15: 
51,  52).     To  the  afflicted,  bedridden 

saint  this  is  a  glorious  hope. 
Ill 


^1^^  3ihlt  SDocttttu  ot  SDebotlon 

A  PURIFYING   HOPE. 

There  is  no  greater  incentive  to  a 
truly  devout  life  in  all  the  realm  of 
sacred  teaching  than  the  hope  of 
Christ's  coming. 

It  is  an  incentive  to  purity  of  life. 
( I.  John  3 : 1-3. )  Jesus  said,  "Blessed 
are  the  pure  in  heart :  for  they  shall  see 
God.''  Only  the  pure  in  heart  can  see 
him.  You  might  take  a  deaf  man  to 
a  great  oratorio  and  he  would  not  hear 
a  sound ;  you  might  stand  a  blind  man 
with  his  face  toward  a  glorious  sunset 
and  he  would  not  see  a  ray  of  light. 
So  an  unregenerate  or  impure  man 
cannot  see  God.  The  soul  that  is  lifted 
up  with  the  hope  of  seeing  his  Lord 
will  strive,  by  the  power  of  the  Spirit, 
to  purify  himself  as  he  is  pure.  He 
will  reason  thus:  The  pure  and  holy 
and  just  One  is  coming,  for  which 
I  am  hoping,  for  I  have  set  this  hope 
on  him.  I  want  to  see  him ;  I  want  to 
be  like  him;  therefore  I  must  be  pure 
as  he  is  pure. 

It  is  an  incentive  to  righteousness. 

112 


C6e  7dlt00tr}  l^ope 


(Titus  2;  11-13.)  In  verse  twelve  we 
are  taught  to  live  righteously  because 
of  the  grace  offered  in  Jesus  Christ, 
and  because  of  the  blessed  hope — his 
glorious  appearing.  Jesus,  by  his 
death,  would  bring  salvation  to  all 
men.  We  have  partaken  of  his  grace, 
thus  enabling  us  to  live  the  life  in 
which  we  deny  ourselves  all  ungodli- 
ness and  worldly  lusts,  living  soberly, 
righteously,  godly.  The  power  which 
enables  such  a  life  is  the  power  of 
grace;  the  incentive  to  such  a  life  is 
hope.  Between  these  two  we  are  taught 
how  to  live  in  this  present  world.  This 
life  in  relation  to  ourselves  is  to  be 
sober — not  overcome  with  wine  or 
pleasure  or  prosperity;  in  relation  to 
others  it  is  to  be  righteous — not  op- 
pressing, not  defrauding,  helping;  in 
relation  to  God  it  is  to  be  godly — de- 
vout, reverential,  obedient.  My  Lord 
has  died  to  enable  and  teach  me  thus 
to  live.  He  is  coming  and  will  see  how^ 
faithful  I  am;  therefore  I  cannot  be 
satisfied  at  any  moment  with  anything 

8  113 


%^t  ©ibit  SDoctrfne  ot  SDebotion 

short  of  what  he  rightly  and  justly 
expects. 

It  is  an  incentive  to  a  life  of  watch- 
fulness. ( II.  Peter  3 :  10-12. )  Because 
we  do  not  know  when  the  thief  may 
come,  we  watch,  we  are  read'y.  But 
His  coming  is  not  an  event  to  be 
dreaded  as  the  breaking  in  of  a  thief, 
but  as  to  the  uncertainty  of  time.  Be- 
cause of  this  the  apostle  asks  what 
manner  of  persons  ought  we  to  be  in 
holy  living  and  godliness.  We  are 
taught  here  as  elsewhere,  repeatedly, 
to  be  on  the  lookout — "looking''  for  His 
coming.  But  to  the  apostle  this  would 
not  seem  sufficient,  for  he  further  says 
we  should  "earnestly  desire" — the  mar- 
gin says,  hastening  the  coming  of  the 
day  of  the  Lord. 

It  is  an  incentive  to  readiness.  (I. 
John  2:28.)  When  He  comes  in  the 
"bright  light  of  his  glory  and  purity,  we 
shall  want  to  stand  in  his  presence  in 
that  boldness  which  always  character- 
izes the  faithful  and  pure,  who  are 
ready  at  any  time  to  have  the  search- 

114 


%^t  1Blt0&t^  ^oj^t 


light  turned  on  them.  Those  who  are 
not  ready  and  are  found  in  all  manner 
of  wickedness,  though  they  have  been 
numbered  with  our  churches,  shall  be 
ashamed  before  his  presence.  In  the 
margin  we  read,  "Ashamed  from  his 
presence." 

It  is  an  incentive  to  increased  re- 
ligious activity.  It  is  amazing  how^  a 
due  attention  given  to  this  doctrine  has 
increased  the  religious  activity  of 
those  who  seek  to  do  the  will  of  God. 
Nearly  all  of  the  evangelists  of  any 
note  have  been  greatly  enthused  with 
this  blessed  hope,  and  under  the  in- 
spiration it  has  given  them,  thousands 
have  been  gathered  to  the  bride  of 
Christ.  The  same  glorious  truth  has 
put  a  hitherto  unknown  earnestness 
and  zeal  into  many  pastors  and  local 
churches.  No  one  can  read  "How 
Christ  Came  to  Church,"  by  Dr.  A.  J. 
Gordon,  without  recognizing  the  mar- 
velous impetus  given  to  the  activities  of 
a  local  church  when  its  pastor  put  him- 
self and  his  church  in  the  attitude  of 

115 


^ie  3iblt  SDocttim  ot  SDtbotion 

looking  for  their  Lord's  return.  Those 
who  have  gone  to  the  mission-fields  un- 
der the  inspiration  of  this  uplifting 
hope  have  toiled  and  labored  with  a 
courage  and  an  inspiration  which  has 
simply  worked  wonders. 

"...  Unto  you  is  given 
To  watch  for  the  coming  of  His  feet 
Who  is  the  glory  of  our  blessed  heaven. 
The  work  and  watching  will  be  very  sweet, 
Even  in  an  earthly  home, 
And  in  such  an  hour  as  you  think  not 
He  will  come." 


lie 


DATE  DUE 

f 

• 

CAVLORO 

PNINTCOINU   S.A 

